


Moving Forwards Together

by shenanigans1414



Series: The Parallel Riverdale Universe Where Things Don't Suck for Kevin [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Explicit Language, Fix-It, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Headcanon, M/M, ignores season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-02-09 02:10:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12877953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shenanigans1414/pseuds/shenanigans1414
Summary: A completely unnecessary sequel to a fic that gave Kevin a happier ending at the end of Season 1. Since Season 2 Riverdale is a miserable place, here's another place in the multiverse where Joaquin came back, got Kevin back, and now everything is lovely and shiny.





	1. Meeting the Friends

**Author's Note:**

> You could read this as a standalone but it would make more sense if you read the first part.  
> I'm just going to pick & choose the stuff I like from Season 2 and ignore other details we know now about certain characters (mostly because I'm too lazy to update things to include new facts). So this is not canon compliant, but it is canon adjacent.

Like clockwork, Kevin’s phone rang at 11 pm. Since they’d started things up again, Joaquin called Kevin nearly every night for a brief chat—to swap stories of the day if they hadn’t seen each other or to just say goodnight if they had. Kevin wasn’t sure what had brought this on, but he suspected it had to do with the months of loneliness the older boy had experienced. And besides, it was sweet.  It showed he cared. It was exactly what Kevin needed to get a handle on their reestablished relationship.

It had been almost two weeks, and things were _great_. Joaquin was clearly committed to making things work: He’d officially met Sheriff Keller (just a handshake for now), been a total gentleman on their dates, and was completely transparent about where he was and what he was doing to make it clear he wasn’t up to anything even slightly shady. He’d apparently meant it when he told Kevin he was _never_ going to lie to him again, not even by omission. When Kevin asked questions, he got honest answers that he could tell Joaquin would rather _not_ share but was going to anyway.

For example, Kevin had asked if he’d fooled around with anyone while he was gone (Kevin had, and he didn’t want to feel guilty). Joaquin revealed that yes, while he was bouncing from city to city he’d hooked up with a handful of people but hadn’t really enjoyed himself so it had been a rare event. It had been more about easing loneliness than horniness, and fooling around with strangers didn’t make him feel less lonely. More than one sketchy guy had made a sketchy pass at him, offering him cash or drugs. That was always a no-brainer, easy money or not. But there was one shy guy who’d come up to Joaquin in a bar and meekly said, “I’ll give you $200 if you let me suck your dick.” That turned out to be an offer he couldn’t resist, though he felt weird about it afterwards. Once he meant his “church people” he ended up donating the money to them and that had helped. For the past few months, his sex life had consisted of looking at Kevin’s pictures on his Facebook page ‘like a creeper,’ porn, and his hand. He’d blushed _so_ much while he talked about all of this that Kevin was afraid he was going to burst a blood vessel in his face or something, but it seemed like he was being completely, painfully honest. Joaquin was willingly sacrificing his pride to win back’s Kevin’s trust and it was working. Kevin wasn’t _completely_ over his doubt and suspicions yet, but he felt he was getting there.

The phone rang again, and Kevin snapped back to the present to answer it.

“Hey, preppy. How’s it going?”

“Pretty good. School was boring, no drama for once. Turns out I did alright on my Biology midterm after all. Not too much homework tonight, thank _god._ What’s up with you, sweetie?”

“Two things: First, my mama wants you to come for dinner. She wanted to ask before, but my father was at his ‘working & actually around’ stage.”

Joaquin had previously explained to Kevin that his father would work dissembling cars at a buddy’s junkyard just long enough to get some funds and then would go on an extended bender with his earnings. Once the money ran out, he’d go back to work for his friend (who clearly owed him some sort of life debt). While ‘working’ he’d be less drunk—though certainly not sober—and typically came home. Joaquin’s mother made sure he ate actual food, and Joaquin would make sure he had _just_ enough alcohol to avoid the DTs. Once he left, he’d couch surf or pass out in the White Wyrm basement. This ‘cycle’—roughly a week home, a month gone—had been the DeSantos’ standard operating procedure for _years_. Kevin, utterly appalled, had asked why his mother put up with it, and Joaquin had just rolled his eyes.

“She’s super Catholic, so no divorce. She ‘made a vow before God’ and she’s ‘got to honor it’ or something. Though if he _ever_ hit any of us, she sure as hell would be singing a different tune. He’s harmless though, so she deals with it. I guess she still cares about the asshole. I fucking hate it, but her place her rules. I’m just waiting for him to drink himself to death, which will probably be sometime soon.” He’d sighed and been quiet for a long moment. Then he smiled slightly and shook his head. “She’s not as hard-core religious as she acts, though. When I came out, her immediate response was that there was nothing wrong with me. ‘The Church is wrong, _mijo_. Jesus never said anything bad about gays and his word trumps the damned Pope.’”

Needless to say, Kevin was excited to finally meet Mrs. DeSantos. “I’m _so_ there! Just tell me what day. What was the second thing?”

“Some guys are throwing a party this Friday and I want to take you. That cool?”

Kevin paused. This was what he’d asked for, he’d _wanted_ to meet his boyfriend’s friends but it _also_ meant he’d…have to meet his boyfriend’s friends. Who were likely all young Southside Serpents. Who likely resented Northsiders like himself…because Northsiders stereotyped all Southsiders as dangerous thugs. Which he was doing right at this moment. Dammit. He mentally kicked himself. “Of course! I can’t wait.”

 

Friday night, there was a knock at the door. Joaquin looked slightly relieved when it was Kevin who answered—he’d done well in his brief interactions with the Sheriff, but that didn’t mean they still weren’t scary as hell. He openly checked out Kevin with a smile.

Kevin looked down at himself, suddenly doubting his outfit: a gingham button-down tucked into crisp jeans. A typical look for him, but perhaps not appropriate for a party on the South Side? Joaquin was wearing his old jacket, he looked tougher than he typically did on their dates… “What, should I change?”

Joaquin rolled his eyes. “Never, preppy.” He happily looked Kevin up and down again then took his hand. “C’mon, let’s go.”

As they climbed into Joaquin’s car—he’d quickly sold his bike when he’d left, leaving the money for his family and now that he was back he’d bought his own beater—the older boy had told him what to expect. “There’ll probably be a _lot_ of beer and some of these guys get loud and rowdy when they drink. But they just wrestle, they don’t start real fights. Really, it shouldn’t be any crazier than Jughead’s party... Less drama anyway, that’s for damn sure... I’m not gonna drink since I’m driving you home, but you can if you want.” Kevin thought for a minute and decided that he didn’t want to be wasted the first time he hung out with a bunch of new people (especially new people who would probably hate him on sight).

Kevin clung tightly to his boyfriend’s hand as they entered the house. As expected, it was full of highly-intimidating teens wearing a terrifying assortment of leather and denim, with an overwhelming serpent theme. More than one openly gaped at Kevin as they snaked through the crowded room, Joaquin clearly looking for someone. He must have found them, because they stopped by a trio by a window. There was a giant with a shaved head and a horrendous neck tattoo, a cute-ish blond guy who looked like his clothes had had an accident with a wood chipper, and a girl with _fantastic_ cheekbones who was chic as fuck.

Joaquin greeted his friends with grace and charm. “Hey, assholes.”

The scary-as-hell neck-tattooed guy fucking _beamed_ and gave Joaquin a huge hug. “Dude! You came!” He got a fist-bump from the blond, and a wave from the girl.

“This is Tank, Joe, and Nessa. Guys, meet Kevin.”

This excited the blond (Joe?). “This the mysterious boyfriend? About fucking time!” He looked Kevin up and down appraisingly. “Niiiice!” But then he quickly added “No homo!” with a slightly nervous and embarrassed face.

Kevin leaned down to quasi-whisper to his boyfriend. “Did that just happen?!?” He’d never actually heard ‘no homo’ in non-ironic use; he’d hoped the whole thing was a joke.

Nessa and Joaquin chuckled, and the girl rolled her eyes. “ _Yes_. Ignore him, I do 90% of the time and I’m dating him. I’m teaching him to not be a dickhead, but it’s slow.”  She also eyed Kevin. “But seriously, nice find! He looks like a fucking Ken doll!” Tank nodded in agreement and gave his friend a thumbs up.

Kevin blushed as Joaquin wrapped his arm around his waist with a scowl. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t blow up his ego too much, he might realize he can do better.”

Kevin glanced around and saw a shirtless guy (who made Tank look dainty) chugging his drink, beer running down his face. He seemed to be racing a skinny guy with greasy hair and a food-covered shirt. “Hmm. You’re right. Maybe I’ll upgrade while I’m here.” Joaquin’s friends followed his gaze, and cracked up…thank god.

“You better watch out, Quin!” Tank said to his friend. “Pauly will steal your guy away from you with his sexy sexy ways.”

At that, the bigger guy (Pauly, maybe?) let out an enormous belch and stuck his hands in the air while bellowing ‘Victory!’. They laughed even harder, and Joaquin gave Kevin’s side a happy squeeze.

 

He surprised himself by having a good time. Joaquin’s friends were friendly and funny, even if some of them looked like they could be cast as ‘Thug 1’ and ‘Hoodlum 2’ in a gritty urban drama. He’d lost track of names a while ago, but they all seemed to know about him (which was very flattering). That isn’t to say he didn’t get _any_ glares—there were some party-goers who looked unhappy with his presence or even his very existence. But the haters stayed away—likely due to Tank and Joaquin’s other especially scary friends—and Kevin felt accepted by the people who mattered. Despite the warm welcome, Joaquin never left his side and never lost contact with Kevin’s hand or waist. But it seemed to be more possessive than protective. His boyfriend was treating him like precious treasure, and Kevin was _loving_ it.

They ended up side-by-side on a couch, Joaquin’s hand still holding his own. Despite their proximity, they were in two different conversations. His boyfriend was talking to his friends about something he didn’t understand (he’d heard the word “torque wrench” and tuned out). Meanwhile, Kevin chatted with Nessa on his other side—he was shocked but pleased to find a fellow “Bachelorette” fanatic. Two other girls (only slightly scary) wandered over and plopped themselves on a neighboring loveseat.

“You go to Riverdale High, right?” one of them asked.

She seemed excited, not pissed. So Kevin nodded.

“Ohmygod, do you know Cheryl Blossom?” the other one _squealed._ “We’re _obsessed_ with her. She’s _amazing_.”

He laughed and nodded again. “Oh, I know Cheryl. I’m not sure about ‘amazing’ but she sure is something.”

“That’s just it!” Fangirl 1 said excitedly. “She gives no fucks, takes no prisoners. Homegirl does whatever the fuck she wants and looks fierce as fuck while she does so. I wanna be _just_ like her.”

Even Nessa nodded. “I’ll admit it, she’s got a great look.”

Kevin regaled them with some more tales of the redheaded diva, clearly making their night. He had to laugh, thinking about how Cheryl would react if she knew he was using her to make friends with a bunch of South Siders. She’d probably just flip her hair and shrug it off. ‘Of course, Keller. My fabulousness is universally recognized.’

That made him think of how his actual friends had reacted to the news that Kevin was once again dating Joaquin. He’d casually mentioned it to the group at lunch last week. Betty had had her “I’m concerned about this” face on and Kevin had cut her off before she could voice her opinion.

“No, honey. Sorry. We’re not debating this. It was my decision and I made it. I don’t want to hear everyone’s thoughts about whether or not Joaquin was using me the entire time. He said he wasn’t, and I believe him.”

The subsequent silence was broken by Jughead, surprisingly enough. He’d paused eating his hamburger and cleared his throat. “Uh. Right. I forgot. Uh, I’d actually reamed my dad about that at one point. I accused him of pimping out his minions to get information like the damn KGB. But he said he’d just taken advantage of an existing situation, not arranged the whole thing.” The behatted boy had then just shrugged at Kevin. “Sorry. I guess I should have said something before.”

Kevin forced a smile and spoke through gritted teeth. “That would have been good to know, yes.” It would have spared him months of emotional turmoil, but no big deal. “But again, I believe him. With or without external confirmation. We’re back together, he’s good to me, I’m happy, and that’s all that matters. So when I bring him around, be nice.” He looked pointedly at Bee and Vee. Who then hurriedly assured Kevin that they were 110% supportive, and oh so happy for him. He didn’t believe them, but he also didn’t care.

He felt a gentle squeeze on his leg, and left his reverie to smile down at his boyfriend beside him. Yup, that was all that mattered.

 

Per usual, Joaquin walked Kevin to his door to say goodnight. “You seemed to have an OK time, preppy.” It was a statement, but the younger teen could sense the question.

He squeezed his boyfriend’s hand in confirmation. “I did! Your friends seem cool. And nice. Clearly, Alice Cooper’s anti-Southside spiel is groundless—you’re not ‘dangerous hooligans out to corrupt our youth’ after all.”

This got a slight grimace. “Some of us aren’t, anyway. I think I’ll keep you away from those other guys.”

Kevin nodded. “I approve of that plan.” He pulled the shorter boy closer and bent to kiss him.

They always kissed at the ends of their dates—Kevin wasn’t _that_ strong-willed. And he’d missed this so, so much: the intensity, the connection, the affection. So unlike any other boy he’d ever kissed. (Plus, Joaquin was just _really_ good at this.)  As usual, it was a great kiss. Kevin’s hands ran gently through Joaquin’s hair, who had _his_ hands resting lightly on Kevin’s waist. They savored it, taking their time, knowing that it wasn’t going to lead to anything more heated.

After a long, blissful moment he pulled away, remembering something. “Your friends call you Quin.”

Joaquin blinked slowly, trying to regain focus. He eventually nodded. “Hmm. Yeah. Um…It comes from my teachers fucking up my name so often—I’ve been called ‘Joe-Quin’ _so_ many times, it’s not even funny. People started calling me that to bust my balls and it stuck. And it got shortened cuz they’re lazy dickheads.”

Kevin rolled his eyes at the ineptitude of teachers past—it wasn’t _that_ complex a name, people! “Can I call you Quin?” he cooed flirtatiously.

Joaquin gave that crooked little smile Kevin loved so much. “You can call me whatever you want, Kev.”

“Thanks, honey-bunny.”

The look on Joaquin’s face indicated that ‘whatever’ _might_ have been an overstatement, but that he’d tolerate it if Kevin really wanted.

He wasn’t about to torture the guy. He chuckled and gave Joaquin a quick smack on the lips. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I’m not going to challenge your masculinity or anything. I enjoy your masculinity too much.” With a wink and a final smile, he slipped quietly into the house.

 

Kevin woke up the next day feeling inspired. Joaquin’s friends had warmly welcomed him, made him feel like he belonged. Kevin’s friends had _never_ done that for _his_ boyfriend, even before they had reason to be suspicious of him. Yeah, he was a Southside Serpent but Kevin was a Northside Preppy and that hadn’t made a difference last night. Hell, Joaquin’s three BFFs even knew about his dad and they _still_ treated him like one of them. Unacceptable. His friends would just have to do better, and he was going to make them do it.

He started with subtlety. He talked about the party at lunch the following Monday, mentioning offhand how _nice_ and _welcoming_ everyone had been and how he’d been _so_ worried about being an outsider, only to realize he’d been silly. Archie had shrugged and changed the subject (back to _his_ problems, natch) but Kevin was pleased to notice Veronica and Betty look a bit guilty. 

Later that week, he brought Joaquin to a group outing at Pop’s. Bee and Vee were warmer from the outset, and with a little prompting he had Joaquin telling everyone funny stories about the feisty old woman running the ‘halfway house for repentant fuck-ups’ he’d stayed at while he’d been gone. When everyone was done laughing, the atmosphere was already a bit different—it didn’t feel quite as much like “the group plus Kevin plus that guy Kevin brings” as usual. 

Alright. Ice was broken. Now to emphasize commonalities. He looked at the boy sitting across from him and caught his eye.

“Hey Jug, you’re at Southside now. Have you run into Joaquin yet?” he asked casually.

Jughead blinked and looked at Joaquin for a long minute. “Yeah, actually. I think you’re in my gym class, right? Sorry. I didn’t realize it was you…they call you something else at school?” So Joaquin got to tell his “Joe-Quin” story again, once more getting a big laugh.

“You know, Joaquin’s really into film noir,” Kevin informed Jughead later that evening. “You’re a fan too, right?” And soon the three boys were talking about cinema, going beyond _Double Indemnity_ to crime dramas more broadly then to “classics” even more broadly.

Sure enough, the next time they all hung out (a small party at Vee’s) Jughead eventually pulled Joaquin away from the rest of the group to continue their conversation. Kevin had thought the two quiet ‘loners’ would get along, and by talking to each other it spared them from having to listen to the ‘inane bullshit’ (to quote Jug) that the rest of them usually discussed. Given that it was a viewing party for some trashy TV show, Jughead wasn’t exactly wrong.

He’d tried to make a connection between his boyfriend and Veronica via Hispanic mothers, but that just made Vee sad: Apparently, her mom _wasn’t_ lovingly overbearing, just overbearing. They _did_ bond over asshole dads…though when Veronica started asking Joaquin about what product he used with his hair, Kevin felt a bit sorry for throwing them together. With Betty, he didn’t have to even try. She’d quickly picked up on what he was trying to do (of course) and she made the effort all by herself. They were insta-buddies as soon as they realized their common interest in engines. Once again, he heard the words “torque wrench” and tuned out happily.

He didn’t have to bother with Archie, either. Archie had his ‘affable yet angsty bro’ thing going on, so he and Joaquin seemed comfortable just sitting next to each other in complete silence.  And he simply kept Joaquin away from Cheryl. What could he say? “You know Cheryl, Joaquin’s the one who disposed of your dead brother’s body! Small world, huh?” “Hey Cheryl, fun fact! My boyfriend’s entire family lives in a space smaller than your old foyer!” “Joaquin, you used to sell drugs. Turns out Cheryl’s dad did too!” But he didn’t think Joaquin minded.

After actively meddling just a few times, he’d achieved his goal: Joaquin seemed to actually look forward to hanging out with Kevin’s friends to the same extent that Kevin looked forward to hanging out with _Joaquin’s_ friends. He no longer felt like the odd one out. In fact, when Betty suggested a double-date with her & Jughead and Kevin & Joaquin, it was _Kevin_ who was the black sheep once they all started talking mechanics. He didn’t mind, he was too pleased watching two of his favorite people (and Jughead) enjoy each other’s company.

Joaquin never explicitly mentioned Kevin’s ‘be nice to my boyfriend!’ campaign, but he’d clearly noticed. He’d get an appreciative look in his eyes while Kevin meddled and whenever he’d return to Kevin’s side after ‘making friends’ he’d kiss their joined hands and give Kevin a fond smile. It made sense that he’d be touched: Kevin’s insistence on incorporating him into his friend group didn’t just signal that he wanted Joaquin to be comfortable, it also signaled that he saw Joaquin as something long-term. Kevin still had his doubts, but now many of them focused on what _he_ could have done differently: If they hadn’t kept things secret at first and if Kevin had tried harder to integrate Joaquin into his life, maybe Joaquin could have handled FP’s orders better. Yeah, this ‘trial period’ was about Joaquin showing that Kevin could rely on _him,_ but Kevin knew now that street went two ways and he had to prove himself to his boyfriend, too.


	2. Meet the Parent #1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kevin meets Joaquin's mama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd already written this when we found out about Mrs. Keller this week. Ah, well.

“But what if she hates me?!” Kevin asked again as Joaquin pulled into the trailer park. He was suddenly experiencing a ‘meet-the-parents’ induced panic, much to his surprise. He’d been so, so eager to meet Mrs. DeSantos and the girls, but he was freaking out now that it was about to happen.

Joaquin sighed in exasperation. “Not possible, Kev. I _told_ you, she fucking loves you already.”

“But _why_???” Joaquin just shrugged. 

“Relax, preppy. Just let her hug you, agree with whatever she says, and eat her tamales. You’ll be fine.”

 

“Mama! _¡Ya estamos!_ ”

“Chimo! _No seas grosero—_ _¡habla inglés!_ ” A small yet imposing woman scolded Joaquin and hurried to embrace Kevin. “You must be Kevin Keller! Bless you, you beautiful wonderful boy!” She pulled him down so she could repeatedly kiss him on his cheeks.  “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

Kevin eventually managed to detach himself to look down at the woman—obviously Joaquin’s mother, she had the same gorgeous eyes—and blinked at her in total confusion. “Um…what did I do?”

Mrs. DeSantos rolled her eyes (an expression Kevin recognized at once) and slapped his shoulder lightly. “Don’t be silly! You gave me my son back! You let my Chimo come home! And he’s not being stupid anymore, acting like his good-for-nothing father. I told him, I _told_ him ‘I know you’re being bad! That money you give me, it’s from something illegal! And eventually you’re gonna get in trouble!’ And I was right!” She paused to glare at her son, who ducked his head in shame. “He had to leave his family and be on his own _,_ and he was _lucky_! Could’ve been prison! _Pendejo._ But _you_!” She turned back to Kevin and beamed up at him. “You brought him back to us! _And_ you’re a good influence! He’s gonna get a real job, no more criminal _mierda_ with those damn serpents. Thank you!” She gave him another big hug, and Kevin thought he might even hear the sniffle of someone holding back tears.

Kevin didn’t know how to react to this, but it didn’t matter because a high-pitched voice shouted from another room. 

“Is that Chimo? Is he here? Did he bring him?!?”  Not waiting for an answer, two small figures came barreling down the short hallway into the room. They stopped and stared at Kevin, bashfully standing on the far side of the table. They were absolutely adorable—the same silvery-blue eyes and beautiful dark hair.

The taller of the two squealed in delight. “Oooh! Chimo, is this your _boyfriend_?” The smaller one giggled, and whispered “ _¡Que guapo!_ ” to her sister.

Joaquin gently tugged on Kevin’s arm to free him from the still-sniffling woman’s grasp, and guided him towards the girls. “Kevin, meet Isabella and Sabrina. Bella, Saba, meet Kevin.”  Apparently, everyone in the DeSantos family had cute nicknames. _Chimo_. Kevin wanted to squeal in delight.

Instead, he gave the two little girls a big smile and a slight bow, and they giggled again. “Nice to meet you, ladies! I’ve heard _so_ much about you. Your brother adores you both, you know.”

There was a brief, shy pause and then both girls started chattering excitedly and simultaneously. Joaquin managed to follow along but it was too fast to follow for Kevin—he _maybe_ heard questions like “Do you hold hands?” “Do you _like_ like him?”— so he just nodded and smiled as they spoke. That seemed to be enough for the sisters, who beamed up at him. Clearly, if Kevin liked their big brother, they liked Kevin.

“Alright, alright!” Mrs. DeSantos called. “Let’s eat—girls, did you wash your hands? No? Go, go! Boys, you sit down right here.” Joaquin’s mother was a whirlwind of movement, directing them all and moving dishes of food from the oven to the table. Before he knew it, Kevin was facing a pile of food that would keep him fed for the next three days.

“You better eat it all, preppy,” Joaquin whispered with a little smile. “Or else my mama will think you’re insulting her cooking.” His mama heard this, though, and smacked the back of his head before sitting down.

“Don’t be stupid, _mijo_. Kevin love, you’re such a big boy, you let me know if you need more food OK?  There’s plenty where this came from. Girls, let me see those hands—Saba, you need to wash the front _and_ back. Just sit down now. Bella, say the blessing.” The older girl spat out a prayer in rapid-fire Spanish, and Kevin followed it just well enough to chime ‘Amen’ at the end.

It was a family meal unlike any Kevin had ever known. Even before his mother had left, dinner at the Keller’s had always been calm. Kevin hadn’t ever been a shy and quiet kid, but there _had_ only been the one of him. Bella and Saba managed to talk incessantly while also consuming hugely impressive amounts of food…yet they managed to never talk with their mouths full! Kevin couldn’t figure out how that was possible. Little girl magic, maybe.

As before, Joaquin managed to track two conversations simultaneously—asking Bella a question, answering a question for Saba. They talked about school, elephants, each other, Moana, some boy band, some cartoon, hair-dos, puppies, and maybe outer space? Their mother would chime in every now and then, but mostly spent her time making sure everyone was eating enough. Kevin was content to just watch and shovel delicious food in his mouth. He was mesmerized.

It wasn’t that Kevin was seeing another side to Joaquin. This _was_ his Joaquin: thoughtful, caring, and sweet. An attentive and interested listener. A source of praise and support. It might surprise his fellow serpents and just about anyone else—he knew how Joaquin seemed, all ‘cool tough guy’ or ‘quiet, scary intensity’ even with his friends—but it wasn’t at all surprising to Kevin. What was new was that Kevin now knew where this softer side had come from, where Joaquin had learned to be so considerate and supportive. He’d wondered, since he knew that Joaquin hadn’t been in a relationship before either. And frankly, Joaquin was often a much better boyfriend to Kevin than Kevin was to him—in terms of the little things, anyway. He was trying to better, to copy Joaquin’s lead, but he saw now he had a natural disadvantage. Kevin and his father had a fine relationship, but it wasn’t this… _warm._ They didn’t rain affection on each other the way the DeSantos’ seemed to do.

He didn’t have long to mull over this, though. As Joaquin cleared the table to make room for dessert (“It’s a special occasion!” said Mrs. DeSantos, dismissing Kevin’s protests), the girls’ focus switched back to Kevin.

“What does your papa do?”

“He’s the town Sheriff, actually.” This was _very_ impressive, judging from their wide eyes. The questions came in a deluge after that.

“Has he arrested anyone?” “Does he have a gun?” “Has he ever shot anyone?” “Does he have a badge?” “Does he have a special hat?” “Did you ever ride in the car with all the lights and sirens?” “Did he teach you how to look for fingerprints?” “Did you ever get a mugshot taken?” He answered each and every inquiry, delighting the girls.

“What about your mama? What does _she_ do?” Bella asked once the excitement over being related to an officer of the law died out.

“She works in advertising, but she lives in Florida. I don’t see her very often.” Both girls and Mrs. DeSantos frowned and nodded. Obviously, they could relate.

“At least you have an awesome papa!” Saba added sympathetically. “He’ll always keep you safe!”

“Yup!” Kevin smiled. “I’m very lucky. Just like _you’re_ very lucky to have such an awesome mama!”  Mrs. DeSantos blushed at the compliment, and Kevin saw where Joaquin got _that_ charming trait, too. What, if anything, came from the mysterious Mr. DeSantos? It certainly didn’t seem like much.

 

After the last of the food was eaten, the girls cleaned up a bit and then excused themselves to go play some more before bedtime. Joaquin started on the dishes, and Kevin offered to help. The twinkling smile he got was worth any potential dishpan hands.

It seemed like now it was Mrs. DeSantos’ turn to ask questions. “So Kevin, your parents are divorced? When did that happen?”

Kevin nodded. “Yeah, when I was 8.” He shrugged. “My mom said my dad was too devoted to his job, but honestly she wasn’t too devoted to us. She left town with another man, it was a _huge_ scandal at the time. She didn’t ask if I wanted to come, or if I wanted to move down later. At least I never had to pick between them.” He shrugged again to show this didn’t bother him, but Mrs. DeSantos made an understanding sound and rubbed his back affectionately.

“People can be so stupid, not realizing the blessings they have in their children.” She sighed in utter frustration. Obviously, she could relate. “But your dad, things are OK with him? He doesn’t mind you like boys?”

“No ma’am! He was a bit confused when I first told him, but he must spend a lot of time Googling ‘how to parent to a LGBTQ kid’ or something because he’s pretty good at it. People worry, because he seems very conservative but he’s actually really supportive. And _very_ happy that I have a boyfriend.” He grinned at Joaquin, who winked back. No need to add that Sheriff Keller was pleased that his son wasn’t cruising and having random hook-ups anymore.

“And Sheriff Keller…I know he’s met my Chimo, but does he know about…his problems?”

Kevin and Joaquin both turned red and squirmed a bit. “No. Not yet. I never knew how to mention it before, so I didn’t. And now…”

“Now I’m going to tell him,” Joaquin cut in. “Most of it, anyway. The important stuff.” Kevin nodded—he didn’t want Joaquin confessing to anything and ending up in jail after all. But he understood that Joaquin wanted to be transparent.

Mrs. DeSantos looked worried. “How do you think that’ll go? You’re so good for my boy, I don’t want the two of you to have to break up or anything…”

Kevin tried to reassure her; _he_ didn’t want them to break up either. “My dad is pretty reasonable. And he doesn’t storm away in anger, he always listens to everything I have to say first. I can’t imagine he’ll be happy to hear about Joaquin’s past but he’ll let him talk and explain things at least. He’ll also remember that I really like your son.” He shrugged again, anxiously. “I hope that’ll be enough.”

Joaquin paused what he was doing to squeeze Kevin’s hand reassuringly, splashing soapy water onto the both of them.

His mother nodded slowly and gave a small smile. “I hope so too. So I’ll pray for you boys, and for your father to be forgiving.” Her eyes narrowed and she glared again at her son. “Which I wouldn’t have to do if you had shown better sense in the first place, Chimo!”

Joaquin shrugged, abashed. “But I wouldn’t have _even_ met Kevin if I hadn’t been a serpent…” he muttered defensively.

She glared even harder, and now Kevin was a little frightened. “Joaquin Tomas Cruz DeSantos! Shame on you! Don’t you try that fake logic _mierda_ on me! _Nothing_ good comes from the Southside Serpents. You met Kevin because of _San Antonio_ and _el Madre de Dios_ , don’t you forget that! You should pray to thank them _every night_ that this amazing boy is willing to put up with your nonsense!”

Joaquin ducked his head in shame again. “Yes, mama,” he muttered. Kevin had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. No one would _ever_ be afraid of the older teen if they saw right now.

“Now finish up the dishes so you can drive Kevin home. You still have homework to do.” She looked back at Kevin and the terrifying face vanished at once. “Kevin, it was _lovely_ to meet you. You’re welcome any time.” She gave him another huge hug, and kissed his cheeks again. “I made a plate of tamales for you to take home, there’s enough for you and your father. Goodnight, you wonderful boy!” Yet another hug, and she went to check on the girls.

Kevin grinned at his boyfriend, who was still blushing from the scolding he’d received. “Oh, I _like_ her!”

Joaquin rolled his eyes. “Of course you do. You’re a saint in her eyes. You saved her son from all his wicked, wicked ways.”

“Not all of them, I hope,” Kevin whispered as he waggled his eyebrows. His tone turned serious. “But she knows that it was really all you, right? I didn’t really do anything than give you the all-clear to come back to town, _you’re_ the one who made the decision to change and acted on it. I don’t like getting credit for something I didn’t do. It’s not fair to you...”

His boyfriend dried his hands and gave Kevin a hug.  “Kev, stop. _Yes_ , she gives me credit. She’s proud of me, though she doesn’t tell me too often because she doesn’t want me getting ‘all stuck up.’ But she’s not wrong, I probably wouldn’t have stopped all that stupid shit if it wasn’t for you. Hell, I wouldn’t have even known to leave town if it wasn’t for you and your friends. I would be in prison. Or dead like Mustang. So take some responsibility for that. You pushed me in the right direction.”

“And _you_ decided to walk,” Kevin added. “No selling yourself short, Chimo.”

Joaquin winced, horrified. “No. _No._ You don’t get to call me the same thing as my mama and baby sisters. No.”

“ _Fine._ ” Kevin sighed in disappointment. He placed the last dish in the dish rack. “All done. Hey, I didn’t get a tour.” He wanted to see Joaquin’s bedroom, maybe hang out a bit before he had to go home and finish up his own homework…

A big sigh from Joaquin. “That’s because it would be stupid to give you one, you’ve basically seen everything already. This is the kitchen, obviously.” He waved his hand to the left. “Here’s the combination living & dining room.” It was a cramped space with a couch, TV, and the small table & chairs they’d had dinner at. “That couch also doubles as the asshole’s bedroom when he’s home.”

He took a few steps down the short hallway to the right. “On that side, you’ve got the master bedroom which is the girls’ room—bunkbeds plus playroom. Here’s mama’s room.” A smaller bedroom. “The only bathroom.” An astonishingly small space with an itty-bitty shower. “And my room.” He opened the door and let Kevin step through.

It was _tiny._ The mattress barely fit, width-wise, and it was actually _smaller_ than a twin. All his stuff was in shelves up on the wall, plus a few crates under the foot of the bed.

“Wow.” That’s all Kevin had to say. Obviously, they wouldn’t _ever_ hang out in Joaquin’s room—no space, no privacy. Not to mention no _space._ “Very…cozy. Like a womb.”

Joaquin snorted. “Sure. Also like a pantry. Which it used to be.” He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “I shared the big bedroom with the girls until I was 13. So at first this was exciting. And now it’s motivating as fuck. We’re gonna move someplace bigger as soon as I can swing it. I’ve been saving for years…”

Now it was Kevin’s turn to hug his boyfriend. “I know, I know. And you’ll be there soon, I’m sure. Once you start that new job when you graduate, you’ll get a bigger place in no time.”

Joaquin let himself be held for a few minutes, then pulled away and gave his room one final glare. “C’mon. I’ll drive you home.”

 

As Joaquin’s car parked in front of Kevin’s house, he said something he’d been worried about for a while. “You know I’m not ashamed of you, right? I don’t care about where you live or what you’ve done or your family situation. You know that, right?”

Joaquin gave him a weak smile. “Yeah, I know. But _I’m_ ashamed. And that makes it hard to accept that other people don’t care.”

Kevin squeezed his hand reassuringly as they walked to his front door. “Well, accept it. So you live on the South Side. Who cares. And your home is awesome because you’re such a great family, it doesn’t matter how big your place is. You guys clearly love each other. Your mom is my new hero. Yeah your dad is a prick, but he has no impact on how I view _you._ You’re a great big brother and an amazing son. And that makes you even more attractive. I didn’t think you could _get_ cuter, but ta-da! You did it, sexy.”

That made Joaquin smile for real. “Thanks, Kev.” He thought for a minute, then chuckled. “This ought to be an intervention program for at-risk Southside students. ‘Develop self-esteem by dating nice preppy boys.’”

“ _Totally_. I’ll pitch it to Josie’s mom. We gays are always being accused of having an agenda, maybe this can be it!”

They muffled their laughter with yet another sweet parting kiss.

 

That night, Joaquin called at 11 pm for a quick word.

“Goodnight, Kev.”

“Goodnight, sweetie. Don’t forget to say ‘thank you’ for me in your prayers tonight!”

“……you’re going to be impossible now, aren’t you?”

“Yup!”

 

 


	3. Relationship Milestones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the smut. Plus fluffy fluffness. But lots of smut.

Another date night! Joaquin was taking him to yet another double-feature: Streetfighter and Mortal Kombat. He was excited, but not for the 90s nostalgia (the movies predated him, after all).  No, he had something else in mind for this evening.

“All set for some terrible cinema?” Joaquin asked as they climbed into the car.

“Change of plans… What do you say we go down to Sweetwater River instead?” he purred, lightly resting his hand on Joaquin’s thigh as the boy started the engine.

“Really!?” replied Joaquin, his eyes lighting up and the car stalling in his distracted joy. He blushed, embarrassed by the beginner's mistake. Before he restarted the car, he faced Kevin with a serious expression. “Are you sure? I can wait…”

“ _I_ can’t, sexy boy. I’ve been going _crazy_. It’s been soo long!” He was happy they’d waited until he’d had his feelings sorted out, but holy shit had it been difficult. “I can’t take it anymore!”

Joaquin grinned, but suddenly looked concerned. “I thought the whole point of waiting was to keep sex from clouding your judgment, Kev…”

Kevin realized that Joaquin was worried that he was thinking with his dick. Which yeah, he was right _now_ but it wasn’t what led to this moment. He wasn’t going to regret anything. He squeezed the older boy’s thigh reassuringly. “Joaquin. Sweetie. Part of the reason I can’t take waiting anymore is because there’s no _reason_ to wait. I trust you.”

This made Joaquin’s eyes light up more than hearing that sex was back on the menu.

 

As they drove towards the river it was sheer dumb luck that kept Joaquin from crashing the car, given how much they were ramping each other up yet. Kevin kept his hand high up on Joaquin’s thigh, who was gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.

“I don’t think I’ve jacked off this much since I was 14!” Kevin was explaining. “Hearing your voice right before I went to sleep each night…it was too much to resist.” Joaquin flushed upon hearing this—not with embarrassment.

“Man, same here. I’ve jerked off before all our dates, it’s the only thing that kept me from pushing you up against a fence like the first night we met.”   

“Oh _god_ drive faster!” Kevin whined and his boyfriend grinned sympathetically.

“You know, I thought about that night a _lot_ while I was gone. Added to it, obviously.”

“Tell me about it,” the younger teen commanded.

“Well, you don’t run away back to your friends. Instead, we start grinding against each other until you’re begging me to fuck you right then and there. But we have to be quiet, since there’s all those people nearby watching the movie. And you know how much trouble you have keeping quiet, preppy.”

“I’m quiet when my mouth is full,” Kevin chimed in with a smirk.

This led Joaquin to straight-up groan. But he managed to continue. “So you lean against the concession stand, shoving your pants down and sticking that hot ass out towards me. I get you ready so I can start pounding into you, and you’re _trying_ to be quiet but you can’t stop moaning and pleading. ‘Cause you want it so bad. And I want to give it to you just as bad. So I do—I start fucking you real hard against that wall, and you’re _so_ damn loud and it’s _so_ fucking sexy…” He bit his lip as if he was unable to continue. Maybe he was. He _was_ driving and needed to keep at least some of his focus.

Kevin was red-faced and flapping a hand to cool himself off. “Sometime you’re going to have to finish that fantasy for me. Or maybe we’ll just act it out.”

Joaquin bit his lip even harder now. “ _Fuck,_ Kev.”

“Just as soon as we get there, sweetie. We’re almost there.”

“All that time on my own led to some other thoughts too. I thought about how _big_ you are, how much bigger than me you are. And how I kinda like it… I wondered if you could pick me up and like, manhandle me a bit, y'know? So I also thought about _you_ holding me up and like, pinning my arms above my head and fucking _me_ against the side of the concession stand. Not usually my thing—you know that—but it would be hot as fuck, right?”

“Guuuh,” was Kevin’s only response to that visual. That wasn’t something he usually thought about either—typically, Joaquin was the more aggressive and dominant one despite his height and Kevin _loved_ when he took charge. But his boyfriend was right, that _did_ sound hot. “We’ll have to try that one too.” They’d made it to the river, to the same secluded little nook they’d gone to last time ( _not_ Kevin’s old spot, he was never going there again). “Oh thank fuck, we’re here.”

The older teen threw the car in park and turned off the engine (but left the parking lights on) and then both boys were scrambling out of the car. They were almost immediately on each other, wrapped up in each other’s arms and kissing like their lives depended on it. Which it honestly kind of felt like.

Despite not looking where they were going and being joined at the face, they tripped towards a small clearing surrounded by trees and bushes and not too far from the river, dimly lit by the headlights. They’d done this more than once last fall, and the muscle memory was still there. Kevin pulled back and shoved Joaquin—rather aggressively—further into the space.

“Strip,” he commanded. Joaquin chuckled but promptly pulled his shirt off, especially since the other boy was kicking off his own shoes and unbuckling his pants. But rather than going any further, Kevin reached into his satchel and pulled out a thin blanket, which he spread on the ground with as much care as someone in his state could manage.

Now they were frantically pawing at each other, ridding each other of their remaining clothes. They shared a hysterical little laugh as they removed their socks—this being an ongoing joke, the impossibility of removing socks sexily—and soon they were writhing on top of each other on the blanket, skin to skin.

“Shit, I’m not gonna last,” the younger teen panted.  Given their conversation in the car, it was frankly impressive that he hadn’t come the moment he saw Joaquin naked. “Save the fucking for round two.” He squirmed until they were aligned _just_ right, and started to thrust against the other boy, their cocks sliding together easily due to their massive amounts of precome (hell, his dick had been leaking for almost the entire car ride).

They were still kissing—ok, gasping into each other’s mouths—but as Joaquin rocked back and forth underneath Kevin, he shifted to nibbling the younger teen’s neck and collarbone. In return, Kevin started pulling at Joaquin’s hair. It was a good thing they were out in the woods with (presumably) no one around because neither of them was quiet. Rather than muttering, Joaquin was practically shouting profanities in Spanish while Kevin moaned like he was in a porno.

Eventually, the older boy rolled to be on top. “ _Mierda!_ So close! Kev!” His movements started to get a bit irregular as he neared his peak. “ _Dio!_ Love you baby! Love you so much!”

Kevin felt a splash of wet heat and he groaned louder than ever. Flipping them over once again, something in the back of his mind remembered what Joaquin had talked about in the car—how he liked the size difference between them. He knelt upright over the smaller teen, and jerked his own cock once, twice, his cum shooting out to cover Joaquin’s chest, neck, and chin. He then collapsed onto his boyfriend, who quickly wrapped his arms around him.

After panting heavily for a few minutes, Joaquin had settled down enough to comment. “That. Was. Amazing.”

“Yeah,” Kevin echoed breathlessly. Then he remembered, and pushed himself up just enough to see the other boy’s face. “Wait. You love me?” He _had_ heard that. He hadn’t imagined that Joaquin had shouted that as he came. Right?

Joaquin smiled lazily and pet Kevin’s head. “Yeah. Yeah I do.” He didn’t seem inclined to talk much right now, he was too blissed out.

After some glorious cuddling as they both enjoyed their afterglows, they were able to chat more coherently.

“We should take a dip in the river,” Kevin suggested. “We’re both covered in cum.”

“Yeah, yeah. In a minute,” Joaquin replied. “And then round two, right? You promised fucking for round two.”

His boyfriend replied by nuzzling into his neck. “Yes, _please_. Been craving that. I’ve wanted it for _ages._ Even when I was so pissed at you, I still wanted you to come back so you could fuck me. _God_ I’ve missed your dick.”

Joaquin frowned sadly at the mention of their drama. The opposite of what Kevin had intended. “I’m so sorry, Kev. I wanted that so much, too. I was so stupid...”

This apology would have likely continued had Kevin not cut it off with a quick kiss. “No. Enough. It’s the past.” His face nestled back into its previous position, curled into the crook of Joaquin’s neck. “Tell me you love me again. That was nice.”

The older boy chuckled. “I love you. Shit, for a while now. Wasn’t gonna say anything before because I didn’t want to seem like I was pressuring you or anything. But I think I’ve been pretty obvious. Didn’t you notice?”

It was Kevin’s turn for a lazy smile. “Yeah, I think I did. Still nice to know.”

Joaquin kissed his hair now. “Now you know. C’mon, let’s get cleaned up so we can get dirty again.”

“There’s no hurry, I don’t have to be home until 12:30. We’re supposed to be at a double-feature, remember?”

“But I figured we can get in three rounds in and still have time to stop for Pop’s afterwards.”

“Three? Greedy, aren’t we?”

“Baby, there were nights where the memory of your blowjobs was the only thing that kept me going,” Joaquin teased. “If you’re up for it, I promise _I’ll_ be up for it.”

As they stood and staggered towards the river, Kevin remembered something else Joaquin had mentioned earlier. “Wait, didn’t you say you were jerking off before our dates? Does that include tonight!?!”

But his boyfriend just laughed as he jumped into the water. Surfacing, he called out “I _told_ you I’d miss you, preppy!”

 

It was still too chilly for an extended swim, but they had fun splashing about. And Kevin had been prepared—he had a towel in his bag, too. So they managed to dry themselves before wrapping themselves up in the blanket for more cuddles.

They were lazily kissing, giving themselves a bit more recovery time before starting Round 2. After giving his boyfriend an _enormous_ hickey on his left pec, Kevin rested his head on Joaquin’s stomach and looked up at him happily.

“I love you too, by the way.”

“Yeah?!” Joaquin answered, clearly delighted.

“Yup. I’m completely crazy about you.”

At this, the older boy tugged Kevin up so that they could kiss again. “ _Fuck_ , I’d hoped you were. But I didn’t expect it.”

“Not expecting it is part of the reason I love you. You’re so sweet. But I don’t want to hear any ‘I don’t deserve it’ shit, OK? Don’t beat up on the boy I love.”

“I’ll try,” he promised.

Their kisses were no longer lazy. Fueled by their mutual revelations, things got hot. And how. Within no time, both boys were hard and desperate, as if they hadn’t both just gotten off.

“Tell me you have stuff in that magic bag,” Joaquin growled.

“Outside pocket,” came the panted response. The older boy quickly rummaged until he came back with lube and a condom.

As he watched his boyfriend cover his fingers with slick, Kevin gave him a warning. “Careful, it’s been a while _._ ” Specifically, it had been since the last time the two of them had done this.

Joaquin gave him a soft, sweet kiss. “I’ll always be careful with you, baby. I’m never gonna hurt you again, remember?” And true to his words, he began to open Kevin up with slow and deliberate care.

Kevin groaned. It had been too long, and he’d _missed_ this. “But…but what if I _want_ you to hurt me sometime? Like, a little bit?”

His eyes sparkling with something primal and heated, Joaquin growled into his ear and added another finger. “How so, preppy? You want me to spank this beautiful ass sometime? Or you want me to fuck you so hard you feel it for _days?_ Want me to bite you? Scratch you?”

“ _Yes,_ ” Kevin panted. “All of it. _Yes_.” He gasped at a sharp nip to his earlobe, and gasped even louder when Joaquin’s fingers trailed gently over the right spot inside him.

“I’ll do whatever you want, _amor_. But I’m always gonna be careful, too. _Mi tesoro_.” His movements illustrated his words: His kiss was savage, biting down on Kevin’s lower lip. But his fingers were gentle and he took his time in prepping Kevin.

Kevin started pleading that he was ready, and once Joaquin finally agreed he gave the younger teen a sharp swat on the ass. The pleased noise it produced led to two more quick slaps.

“Oh, we’re going to play with that sometime,” the older boy promised as he rolled on the condom and lubed himself up. “How do you want to do this, baby?”

Not sure he could answer, Kevin rolled himself over to be on his hands and knees.

“ _Yessss,_ ” his boyfriend hissed. “You’re so fucking hot, Kev. I’m gonna make you scream my name. Been dreaming about this for ages. You bent just like this, ready for my cock.”

“ _C’mon_ already!” Kevin managed to grit out. This got him another slap on the ass. “Ooooh…you’re… killing…me!”

“Can’t have that,” Joaquin cooed, and lined himself up. Then he lost his ability to speak as he let Kevin adjust, and slowly slid home.

“’mkay,” the younger teen breathed after a moment. “Go. _Move_.”

With a groan, Joaquin started to thrust in and out. “ _Cogeré duro_ …Oh, god. You’re so tight. You feel sooo good…” He started to pick up speed and added force. “C’mon, let me hear you baby.” He tugged on the younger teen’s hair, hard-ish.

Kevin had been gasping with pleasure, but at that he shuddered and cried out “J-Joaquin!”

“Like that, yeah. Uuuuh.. _Te amo_.”

He managed to get Kevin to call his name once more before they both descended to grunts and monosyllabic words like “yes” and “more.” Joaquin was slamming into Kevin, hitting his prostate every other stroke or so. Because they’d already taken the edge off earlier, they lasted longer than they typically did in this position. This wasn’t necessarily a good thing: Kevin was almost at the point of pain. It was _so_ intense and nearly too much to take until Joaquin reached around to grab his dick. With a few strokes, Kevin finally crested. Fortunately, the muscle spasms that Kevin’s orgasm caused led his partner to finish, too—he was too sensitive now to keep going.

They both winced slightly as Joaquin withdrew. He did something with the condom, and wiped Kevin clean with the towel from before. Then they wrapped themselves back up in the blanket. Kevin laughed to himself as he realized that they were essentially a Boy Burrito. His small chuckle must have sounded like a gasp of pain, though.

“Was that too much, baby?” the older boy asked, with a tone of concern rather than the tone of contentment Kevin wanted to hear.

“No, no! It was close, but not too much. It was perfect. You’re perfect. I love you. Now shut up.” And Kevin pulled his boyfriend closer and closed his eyes.

This time, their post-orgasm cuddling led a brief nap. They came to about 20-25 minutes later. Kevin scrambled for his bag and pulled out a Gatorade. It wasn’t cold, but it was refreshing and he gladly shared it.

“I _really_ love you,” Joaquin sighed after taking a big sip.

“Can I make a suggestion?” Kevin asked, a teasing tone.

“’Course you can. You don’t need to ask.”

“Rather than waiting till after Round 3 to get food—which would require us to stay out here for god knows how long, I can’t even _imagine_ getting hard again right now—what if we go to Pop’s now and I’ll cap the evening by sucking you off, if you still want it.”

“Mmmm, I’ll always want it. But yeah, food sounds real good right now. OK, get dressed. I’ll buy you a milkshake.”

“After all _this,_ I might need a burger. I’m _ravenous._ ”

The older boy waggled his eyebrows comically. “I noticed.”

 

As they entered Pop’s, they saw Archie and Veronica. But rather than join them, they just waved and slid side-by-side into their own booth. Although they’d cuddled plenty out by the river, Kevin found he didn’t want to stop touching his boyfriend. Since Joaquin seemed to be in the same boat, Kevin kept his arm around his shoulder and snuggled as close as he could get. He didn’t typically feel so… _mushy_ but tonight was special.

Their affection must have been noticeable, because Veronica cornered him as he exited the men’s room.

“You two seem very cozy tonight,” she teased. “What gives? Did you finally cave? Break your chains of chastity?” Kevin had been whining to Vee about his sex life (or rather, the lack thereof) ever since he and Joaquin got back together.

He blushed, surprising even himself. “Yeah, but that’s not it. Or not all. He…he told me he loved me.” Another blush, which seemed like it must be linked to the warm glow he felt swell in his chest.

Veronica just blinked at him, not impressed. “That’s it? Because that is old news, Kevin Keller! I mean really…he changed for you! Like, a _lot_! That’s the boyfriend Triple Crown! And you’d only achieve that if he really, really loved you.”

Indignant, Kevin scowled at his friend. “Well, it’s the first time we _said_ it, OK? And that’s a big deal! And also, he didn’t change for _me,_ he changed for _himself._ ” He was very insistent about this. He didn’t want to take anything away from Joaquin by making it seem like his repentance and reformation were just a way to win Kevin back. It was more than that, much more. Kevin was just a perk.

She held up her hands apologetically. “Sorry, sorry! You’re right, that _is_ a big deal.” She smiled at him. “I’m happy for you, Kev. You guys went through so much, it’s nice to see you two like this. You deserve it.”

Kevin and Joaquin ended up eating a metric fuck-ton of french fries, as well as their usual milkshakes. As they carbo-loaded, they also cooed lovingly at each other. This wasn’t common behavior for them; they usually didn’t sit around talking about how much they liked each other. Typically, compliments came in the form of come-ons and innuendos. But tonight, Kevin let his inner Hallmark card out. And so did his boyfriend.

“I mean, I guess I figured it out once I left town.” Joaquin was explaining to Kevin when he first knew he was in love. “I had a lot of time to just sit around and think. Well, mope. Like, a never-ending pity party. I’m not gonna lie, most of that was me thinking about my family. Thinking I might never see mama or the girls again…that was fucking _devastating_.” Kevin nodded understanding; he’d never thought otherwise. “But I was also thinking about my friends, and how much it sucked that I wasn’t gonna see _them_ again, either. And thinking about how I wouldn’t see you…that felt different. Which was weird. I mean, I’ve known Tank and Joe since I was a kid. They’re important to me, and… I care, y’know? If they were in trouble, I’d do anything. No questions asked.  Like, get the shit kicked out of me or fight a bear to save their lives. But with you…I dunno. I realized I’d get the shit kicked out of me just to make you smile.” The older boy blushed, a bit embarrassed at his own words. “I didn’t think of myself as somebody who’d go for like, romantic love and all that shit. But I guess I was wrong. Because I did.”

He shrugged, and nestled even closer to Kevin. “Of course, once I realized that things sucked even _more_. Because now I missed you even more and I had even more to regret about the way I left.” A long sigh. “I dunno, man. If I were Jughead, I probably coulda written some amazing poetry or something. But I just fucking sulked. A _lot._ ”

Kevin kissed his boyfriend’s head. “No sulking now, sweetie. Now it’s time to be happy.”

Joaquin tilted his head back to kiss Kevin’s lips. “Yeah. And I am. Really fucking happy.” He finished his milkshake, then looked at Kevin with a sly smile. “Speaking of really fucking happy…I had _such_ a good time earlier that I think I’m gonna have to take a raincheck on the BJ after all. I came so hard that I’m worried it would take you forever to get me off, and I don’t want you to get lockjaw or whatever.”

Kevin arched an eyebrow in response. “That sounds like a challenge.”

Joaquin laughed. “No, Kev, no! I mean it! I’ve waited this long, I can wait a little longer. It’s not a big deal. Because it’s not like I’m _desperate._ Earlier…that was just. Wow. Awesome.”

But his boyfriend was shaking his head. “Nope. Unacceptable.” He slid out of the booth and pulled out his wallet. After a brief, nonverbal scuffle by the cash register, Joaquin ended up paying the tab. Sighing at his defeat, Kevin pulled his boyfriend towards the exit. “C’mon, DeSantos. We’re seeing this night through. There’s still time, and I’m not a quitter.” Joaquin’s protests were half-hearted at best.

Kevin had previously discovered that behind Pop’s, near the dumpsters but not _too_ near, there was a narrow alcove that would just about hide two grown men in the shadows, provided they were positioned a certain way. As in, one man tucked into a shallow niche in the building with the other man kneeling in front (it worked best if the taller man was the kneeler, obviously). He hadn’t pressed his luck with this spot—he cringed at the idea of getting caught by _Pop—_ but it had worked out 3 or 4 times over the past 2 years.

His luck held for a fifth time. He proved that he was _not_ a quitter, and that his boyfriends’ memory had _not_ overestimated his abilities. As a matter of fact, Kevin ended up driving Joaquin’s car back to his house since Joaquin’s legs felt too wobbly.

Satisfaction, bliss, love, and now pride. Overall, an _amazing_ date night.


	4. Meet the Parents #2

The time had come. They’d managed to ignore it and avoid it, but no longer. There was no escape; they needed to be brave. Joaquin was coming to dinner. At Sheriff Keller’s request.

After their brief introduction, they’d nodded and exchanged greetings if Kevin’s dad happened to be home when Joaquin picked him up for a date. But there hadn’t been any substantial conversation between them. As the weeks passed, Joaquin began to wonder if perhaps Sheriff Keller wasn’t interested in his son’s boyfriend (which didn’t sound like the father Kev had described). But one Friday, when Joaquin swung by to take Kevin to a Pussycat’s concert, Sheriff Keller had made his move. He clapped one of his huge hands on Joaquin’s shoulders, startling him half to death.

“Son, you’ve been taking my boy out for a while. Seems like it’s time that you come to dinner, so you and I can get to know each other.”

“Yes, sir” Joaquin agreed. His voice didn’t waver; he was nervous but he wasn’t _scared._

“Good. How about this Monday?”

“Actually Dad,” Kevin cut in. “Joaquin has a night class on Mondays. Trade school.”

This surprised Sheriff Keller, but it seemed like a good surprised. “Fair enough. I should be home for dinner on Tuesday, unless a big case pops up.”

 

But alas, no cases. Kevin thought this was horribly unfair. All his life, the dark side of Riverdale had kept his father away from home and now that he actually _wanted_ his father to be busy, no dice. Joaquin had told Kevin to stop worrying, that it was time he finally talked to Sheriff Keller. But Kevin thought they could have a _little_ longer in their happy love bubble, before Kevin’s dad potentially popped it.

He was anxiously waiting in the kitchen, watching his father put the finishing touch on dinner (he was actually a really good cook). Finally, he blurted it out.

“Dad, I love Joaquin and he loves me. So try not to be too judge-y.”

His father’s eyebrows rose. “Am I judge-y?” He sounded a bit hurt.

“No, of course not! Not usually. I just wanted to make sure that you still weren’t, tonight.”

“Okay…”

“It’s just, it’s just…Joaquin isn’t probably who you’d have expected me to date.”

“Son, I never even thought about the type of boy you might date. There were no expectations.”

“I said that wrong… I guess…I guess you could say that Joaquin is very different from _me._ And… it’s important to me that you give him a chance.”

“I’d hope I’d give him a chance regardless. But if he’s important—if you love him—I’ll try to be especially non-judge-y.” He gave his son one of their semi-awkward side hugs (they weren’t great at expressing their emotions). Just then, the doorbell rang. Kevin practically sprinted to the door.

There stood Joaquin, looking completely composed as if he _wasn’t_ a reformed criminal meeting his boyfriend’s law-enforcement father. He wore his best jeans and a dark long-sleeved Henley—this was dressed up for him. He took one look at Kevin’s face, and shook his head. He pulled the younger teen into a comforting hug.

“Calm down, preppy. It’s going to be fine. Don’t worry.”

Kevin snorted at that, but stepped aside to let the older boy enter the house. Kevin’s father entered the foyer, and nodded at Joaquin.

“Good to see you, thank you for coming.”

“Sure. Thank you for having me. Here,” Joaquin said as he handed Sheriff Keller a foil-covered plate. “My mama told me to never go to someone’s house empty-handed, so I brought cookies.”

“You baked?” Kevin asked in surprise. The other boy shrugged.

“It was mostly my sisters. They’re good at that stuff. I just supervise.”

Sheriff Keller nodded approvingly. “Delegation is a valuable skill. Come on, let’s eat.”

 

“So Joaquin,” Kevin’s dad started as he passed the salad bowl. “It seems like I really just know your name. And that you have sisters. Tell me about yourself—how did you and Kevin meet?”

“At the drive-in, the final show actually. I saw Kevin, and I just had to talk to him.”  Kevin blushed slightly at this version of their first interaction, but his father didn’t notice. Instead, he was frowning slightly.

“But that was last fall… Have you two been together all this time?” He turned to look at his son.

“No, no,” Kevin rushed to reassure his father that he wasn't so clueless about his son's actions. “We dated for a few months in the fall, but then Joaquin had to…move. There was a family emergency. We…we thought he wouldn’t be coming back. So we broke up. Then it turned out that he was coming back, which he did this spring. So we got back together.”  There. That wasn’t a lie. It wasn’t the full truth, but it wasn’t _untrue._ His father looked confused, but he didn’t look skeptical.

“Well, I’m glad that worked out. And now you go to trade school? Are you still in high school?”

“Yes, sir. I’m a senior. I’ll be joining Fishman’s Heating and Air once I’m done with school.”

“You’re at Riverdale, I assume?”

This was it. This was opening the can of worms. Kevin wished they’d done more small talk first, helping Kevin’s dad warm to Joaquin. But Joaquin didn’t blink. He shook his head and looked Sheriff Keller in the eye.

“No, sir. I’m at Southside High.”

“Oh.” Kevin’s dad clearly hadn’t expected this. “That’s…interesting.”

Joaquin shrugged. “More ‘unlucky’ I guess. I don’t know how well you know the school, but things are pretty terrible over there.” His voice wasn’t accusatory, just straightforward.

Sheriff Keller shrugged, too. “I’m not…unaware of the situation. My office would like to do more there, but it seems like we never have the resources. We’re understaffed, but the mayor thinks otherwise...” Which was a diplomatic way of saying that the rich and powerful of Riverdale didn’t want to waste manpower on what they considered a lost cause.

Joaquin nodded, understanding what the Sheriff was saying. “Yeah. Anyway, the school polices itself in a way. I’m not sure it’s any better than total chaos, but it is what it is. You’ve basically got to align yourself with one of the…tribes if you want to survive.”

If Kevin’s dad was surprised or angry, he wasn’t showing it. “Mm-hm. And what ‘tribe’ are you a part of?”

Joaquin looked him in the eye, but also looked embarrassed. “The Serpents, sir. They’re not _as_ bad as the Ghoulies, and I’m a legacy anyway. My dad.” He shrugged apologetically.

“Your father is a Southside Serpent? Do I know him?”

“I’m sure you do, sir. He spends a lot of time in your drunk tank, and gets nabbed for public intoxication pretty regularly.”

Sheriff Keller did look surprised, now. That wasn’t what he’d expected—that wasn’t what he typically picked serpents up for. Then he looked thoughtful. There probably weren’t too many town drunks who were also known gang members. “Miguel DeSantos is your father?”

Joaquin looked even more embarrassed. “Yeah. It sucks. He got sent to prison not long after I was born—he was part of that big chop shop over in Greendale. Did seven years. When he got out, he kept it together for a while. But for the past 8 years or so, he’s been like he is now. I barely know him.” Kevin had wondered about the sizeable age gap between Joaquin and his sisters, but he hadn’t put it together until just now.

Kevin’s dad was still looking thoughtful, so Joaquin hurried on with his explanation.

“As for me, sir, I’m not going to pretend that I’ve always been a saint but I’ve realized how _stupid_ it is to get mixed up in Serpent ‘business.’ I’m gonna stick to the straight and narrow, now.”

“I hope you don’t think that I’d be lenient with you because you’re my son’s boyfriend, if you get into any trouble.” Sheriff Keller did look suspicious now, as well as a little angry. Joaquin had glossed over his past sins, but perhaps not well enough.

“No, sir! I actually assumed it’d be the opposite,” Joaquin explained. “Besides, your son has a zero-tolerance policy. That’s very motivating.” He smiled across the table at his boyfriend. “He helped me get my act together. It sounds like a lame excuse, but honestly I was young and dumb when I first got joined up. I think I’ve matured a bit now; Kevin helped with that. I realized how…reckless I was being. I want a different life than my father, than my ‘uncles.’ I owe it to my mother and my sisters. I owe it to myself.” After his little speech, he sat there waiting for the Sheriff’s response. He was ashamed, but he wasn’t cowed. He was repentant, and he had laid himself at Sheriff Keller’s mercy. He was ready for whatever fate he had in store, and he’d face it with his head held high. Despite Kevin’s anxiety, he _also_ found Joaquin’s demeanor pretty damn hot.

Kevin’s dad was quiet for a long, long time. Kevin felt like he was going to snap, his nerves were so  tightly strung. It was amazing that Joaquin seemed so calm. It was amazing that his _dad_ seemed so calm—his boyfriend had indirectly confessed to criminal behavior!

Finally, his father broke the silence. “Well. It’s not fair to judge a child for the sins of their parents. And I guess we all did things that we regret when we were younger. But I also know that being a serpent is supposed to be for life.” He waited, expectantly.

Joaquin nodded. “Yes, sir. But I can meet my goal, _and_ keep my word. Serpent secrets need to stay secret.” He looked a bit nervous about that, like he’d been afraid Sheriff Keller would twist his arm to get him to turn rat. “Most of my friends are serpents, and I’ll still hang out with them at the White Wyrm. That’s it, though. I don’t have a bike anymore, so I can’t go on rides with the group. And I’m not interested in the…other stuff the group does sometimes.”

“So you’ll just ignore it,” Sheriff Keller said dryly. “Look the other way.”

For the first time, Joaquin squirmed. “Well, I won’t even know about it. They don’t tell me anything anymore, they know about Kevin.”

Up went the eyebrows. “The Southside Serpents know that one of their members is dating my son!?”

Kevin stepped in before this completely blew up. “Yes, because Joaquin _told_ them. He didn’t want me to be in an awkward situation, caught between you and him, Dad. He told them so they’d know to keep him out of the loop. So I’d be out of the loop, too.” After FP got arrested, it turned out that the other leaders hadn’t even known about Joaquin’s relationship (FP had kept a lot of his shit secret, for better or worse). He’d informed them about it not long after they got back together. They didn’t get it and didn’t love the idea, but they didn’t have any real issues with it either. Kevin was realizing that they really didn’t live up to their terrible reputation, at least some of the time.

Sheriff Keller steepled his fingers and stared into space for a few moments.

“I don’t like it. But the Serpents have never threatened me, so I’ll just have to hope they’ll never use you for leverage.”

“I would _never_ let that happen, sir,” Joaquin stated firmly. “And I’ve got a lot of friends who said they’d back me up in that, in case anything happened to me. Honestly, Kevin’s probably safer now that they know about him. He’s, uh, under their protection since he’s with me. We take care of our own.”

That did _not_ seem to comfort Kevin’s dad. “I’m not sure I like that kind of protection,” he muttered.

“Sheriff Keller, I don’t deserve your son. I’m not going to pretend that I do. I’ve done bad things. I’m sorry about them now, but I still did them and there’s no excusing or forgiving that. But I promise you I’m trying to be someone who _does_ deserve your son. I hope you believe me.”

“And Dad, there’s a _lot_ more to Joaquin that this. It’s not really a big part of who he is anymore. He’s a good student, he helps take care of his family, he’s really good to them. And he’s really good to me, too.” It had been a long, long time since Kevin used his puppy-dog eyes on his father, but he was unconsciously employing them now.

Sheriff Keller looked at one boy, then the other. He sighed. “Well, you both seem to believe what you’re saying. I can’t say I approve,” Kevin’s heart sunk at those words. “But I also don’t disapprove. _Yet_.” He added that pointedly, looking at Joaquin sternly. Kevin’s heart soared, full of hope. Despite the implicit threat, his father was giving his boyfriend a chance. That was more than he’d ever expected.

 

Once the heavy business was out of the way, dinner conversation was much lighter. Joaquin and Kevin chatted with each other as they typically did, while Sheriff Keller looked on with a slight smile. He even contributed from time to time.

“…Mama’s classes are going OK, she did well on that test last week. She signed up for night classes when I did,” Joaquin explained for Kevin’s dad. “She works at the hospital as an orderly, but she wants to be a nurse’s assistant.”

“It’s so great that she’s doing that,” sighed Kevin with a smile. He really liked Mrs. DeSantos, and was continually amazed by everything she managed to get done.

“Great for _her,_ but it means I’ve got to look after the munchkins by myself on Wednesdays and Thursdays.” He ruefully shook his head, though his eyes indicated he actually didn’t mind.

“I can help, you know,” Kevin insisted. “I’ve babysat before.”

“You sure, preppy? They’re very into playing ‘beauty parlor’ right now—my toenails are hot pink. Though I guess your hair is short enough to be spared the braids and the curlers…”

Kevin’s dad had stifled a smile when he heard the nickname, but he couldn’t hold back with the mental image of the young gang member playing mannequin to two little girls. Neither could Kevin, who burst out laughing.

“Now I _have_ to help out, just so I can see you! And take many _many_ pictures. To show _everyone_.”

“Don’t you dare!” muttered his boyfriend darkly, but again, his eyes told another story.

“Sorry, sweetie. You don’t scare me. I know you’re secretly a softy.”

Kevin’s dad was realizing that just might be true.

 

A few weeks later, the boys were watching a movie in the den when Sheriff Keller popped in. Kevin’s head was resting in Joaquin’s lap as they watched Lauren Bacall try to seduce Humphrey Bogart.

“Joaquin, a word?”

At that, the older boy nodded and stood while Kevin sat up and paused the movie. Kevin was petrified; what was happening? Thankfully, though his dad pulled Joaquin out of the room to speak to him, he didn’t quite shut the door behind them. If Kevin listened _real_ hard, he could just make out what they were saying.

“…I’ve checked up on you, son. You don’t have a record, and my men say that you haven’t done anything the least bit fishy recently, other than visiting the White Wyrm. I even cornered Flat-Top to ask about you, off the record. He backed you up, said that you’re not part of any ‘business.’ He said you’re a good kid, that you’ve got potential. That you might make it out of the Southside.”

Joaquin murmured something in response. 

“You make my boy happy. And I guess that’s what matters most. You make my boy happy, and you seem like you’re trying to be a good man. As long as you keep both of those things up, I’ve got no problem with you. Don’t disappoint me by letting Kevin down.”

Kevin couldn’t quite hear Joaquin, but he was _sure_ he said something like “Never.” His heart fluttered at that. It was funny—he didn’t even need to hear Joaquin say something sweet, he just knew that Joaquin has most likely said something sweet and he’d get all sentimental. It was incredible how well he felt he knew his boyfriend, that he could be so confident about what Joaquin was thinking. He thought about how he felt last fall when he _thought_ he knew Joaquin but really didn’t, then how he felt over the winter when he thought he _didn’t_ know Joaquin but really did…His heart and mind had really ridden a rollercoaster this year. And it had all ended up OK in the end. Better than OK. Who knew?

He must have missed the last few things his dad said, because Joaquin came back into the room. He was wearing such a genuine, beautiful smile that Kevin once again felt his heart do the cha-cha. He rose to give his boyfriend a giant hug, squeezing him so hard that he’d worry he was hurting the shorter boy if he didn’t know how strong Joaquin actually was. They hadn’t spoken about it, but Sheriff Keller’s approval meant a lot to them both and getting it was a big relief. To Kevin, it showed that his father trusted him, trusted his judgment. To Joaquin, it showed that he’d made progress in his goal of transforming himself into a better person. It made Kevin uncomfortable when his boyfriend talked about how he was “unworthy” or “didn’t deserve” to be dating him, but he knew that it really had more to do with how Joaquin viewed himself than how he viewed Kevin. Hopefully, with enough time Joaquin’s self-esteem would rise to match his actual worth. Kevin would _damn_ well make sure this would happen, or he’d eat Joaquin’s old Serpent jacket.

After a looong hug and big, relieved sighs, the boys moved back towards the couch. This time, Joaquin rested his head against Kevin’s shoulder and gripped his hand. They un-paused the movie, but neither of them were particularly focused on the film. Neither did they speak. Instead, they just sat there in a contented comfortable quietness—something Kevin had _never_ imagined he’d enjoy. After a long, tranquil moment, Joaquin tilted his head to give the younger teen a soft kiss.

“Love you, baby.”

“Love you too.”

They gave each other big, dopey grins, then Joaquin nestled back into the crook of Kevin’s neck. The younger boy gently ran his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair, and thought about how funny life could be. Not too long ago, he’d thought himself the unluckiest, stupidest, most naïve boy in the world. Now here he was with his beautiful, sexy, & incredibly sweet boyfriend. They were in love and happy, with no obstacles to keep them from staying that way. Maybe all the shit they’d gone through over the past year—all the self-doubt, loneliness, regrets, anger, and fear—had been necessary to appreciate the happiness they now felt. He’d read that somewhere: you could only be truly happy if you’d been truly unhappy. He’d thought it was gloomy bullshit at the time, but now…OK, it was still gloomy but perhaps gloomy with a grain of truth. Or maybe he just wanted to believe that all the pain they’d gone through hadn’t been completely pointless.

Whatever. He could be existential later. Right now, there was a warm lovely boy in his arms who deserved his complete attention. Quick as a wink, he rolled and flipped so that he was lying face down, his boyfriend prone and underneath him.

“Well, sweetie. Now that we’ve got my dad’s approval…whaddaya say we test his limits?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and rolled his hips ever so slightly.

From below, Joaquin shook his head and gave that wry little smile that had first captured his attention. He gave Kevin’s hair a little tug and nipped at his collarbone.

“Bad,” he scolded lightly. “What am I gonna do with you, preppy?”

Kevin beamed down at him. “You’re going to make me happy.” He said it as if it was obvious. It was. “And I’m going to make you happy. And we’ll just keep on doing that, right?”

Joaquin smiled back. Those amazing eyes twinkled. “Right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! I don't love the ending, but I've been blocked and this is ultimately what came to me. Hope you enjoyed it, and hope that Kevin gets a legitimate storyline (and love interest) soon!


	5. Time Travel Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season 2 is miserable enough to be inspirational! So my alternate timeline has extended to (dum dum duuum) THE FUTURE.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I thought I was done too.

_2031_

Kevin sipped his coffee as he stood outside the coffee shop, gazing around Main Street. It had changed a lot over the years, but the spirit of Riverdale was still there. And the town’s recent economic renewal was noticeable—ample public transport, the streetlights were all solar-powered, and all the buildings featured cutting-edge C02 absorption sponges. The technology had really come a long way; this newest model was less obtrusive and unsightly than the ones were found everywhere else these days.

The civil servant in him was musing over the costs of such a program when he heard the bells that signaled the door behind him had opened.

“Kevin?!?” a surprised voice asked.

He turned to see the man who had just exited the shop, holding his own steaming cup. Well, holy shit. Although the man had a five o’clock shadow and a short ponytail, those eyes were unmistakable.

“Whoa, Joaquin!”

The men embraced as carefully as two holding coffee cups could. Kevin took a moment to look him over. He was still handsome as hell (per usual), although he did look older. But they all did these days, right? His ex’s face was sharper, and had some creases that weren’t there the last time they’d been together which was…what, over a decade ago? Again, holy shit. Anyway, he wore a navy-blue tradesmen uniform with his name embroidered above the breast pocket, and Kevin absently mused how flattering it was. His body hadn’t aged—if anything, there were _more_ muscles now. How very like Joaquin, to always look so _good._

Joaquin was probably thinking something similar about Kevin. He still had all his hair (thank GOD) but had recently spotted his first gray hairs. Still, he wasn’t worried. Look at his father—he’d started greying in his early 30s too and rocked the salt & pepper until his late 50s. Only after 60 did it really turn _grey_ grey. Kevin had worked hard to keep himself in shape and prided himself on wearing the same size pants as in college. And truth be told, he was probably dressed not unlike his old self: a tucked-in button down. With dress pants, rather than jeans, but still.

“Kevin fucking Keller. Man, I didn’t see you when I went in! Too focused on acquiring caffeine I guess. But it’s good to see you! _Real_ good!”

No kidding. Kevin beamed at his high school sweetheart. It was surreal & mind-boggling to see him after all this time—11 years, he figured—but a good form of surreal & mind-boggling.

Eleven years…. Although they’d been happily, steadily together for the remainder of Kevin’s time at Riverdale High, Joaquin decided (and had eventually persuaded Kevin) that it would be best if they parted at the end of the summer following Kevin’s graduation. The younger would be going to college in Chicago, and the elder insisted a clean break would be best.

“ _C’mon_ Kev. You’ll be starting this whole new thing. If we try the long-distance shit, we’ll just fall apart anyway. I’ll feel like I’m holding you back, or resent you, or both, or whatever.”

“We could make it work! People make it work!” He knew of plenty of people who married their first boyfriend or girlfriend…why couldn’t that be them!? After getting back together, the two of them had been rock-solid. Sure, they fought but just little squabbles here and there and never with any threat of another split—certainly none of the epic drama of ‘Bughead’ (ugh, he couldn’t _believe_ they’d referred to themselves that way). They were happy, they _worked_. Why end a good thing!?

Joaquin gave him a sad smile. “I’d like that, baby. Hell, I’d _love_ that. But I don’t think it’s gonna happen. We’re just going in two different directions. You’re _leaving_. You should leave _._ You don’t want an anchor pulling you back to this crappy little town when you’ve got so much in front of you. As for me…Saba and Bella are both gonna be in high school in a couple of years and I need to pay a lot more attention to them. Keep ‘em out of trouble. And I really need to focus on work right now to get that promotion.”

“So what, we just shake hands and walk away? I love you, you asshole!”

Joaquin chuckled and wrapped his arms around the younger boy. “I love you too, baby. And it’s _because_ I love you that I want to do this. You can be free to start your new life, and our time together can be this, like, beautiful memory that isn’t ruined by fighting and tears and shit. I don’t want any ugliness when I think about you, Kev. You’re always gonna be my first love. Just like I’ll be for you.” He leant forward until his forehead rested gently against Kevin’s. “C’mon, you know I’m right.”

Kevin did know. He was looking forward to college and his chance to live in a city with an actual gay community but was dreading how it would affect his relationship with Joaquin. It’s not like the other boy could come with him or even visit very often; he had serious obligations and had to stay in Riverdale. Fuck, he had a full-time job and had co-signed a mortgage on a house. Joaquin was basically an adult now, and Kevin still had to figure out what he wanted to do with his life.

It was sad, _heart-breakingly_ sad, but it was for the best. For both of them.

That last summer was bittersweet. They enjoyed their time together, hoarding memories to carry them through in the future. And yeah, there was a little crying and some minor arguments, but nothing huge and scarring. Nothing to retroactively taint all they’d been to each other.

“Think of it this way,” Joaquin had once joked. “I can be your baseline at both ends. You gotta find somebody who treats you at _least_ as good as me—don’t you dare settle—and what are the odds that anyone would ever fuck up more than I did? Gang member? Drug dealer? Aiding & abetting, obstructing justice? Disposing corpses? I bet none of your future boyfriends will beat that _._ DeSantos for the win!”

“You just want to be Rick in Casablanca,” Kevin snapped with a roll of his eyes. The older boy just let out a chuckle.

“Right. Don’t ruin this for me, preppy. Let me be all cool like Bogie.”

The night before Kevin left was emotional, to say the least. They’d spent their last weekend together camping by the Sweetwater River, and Sheriff Keller let Joaquin spend the final night in Kevin’s room before he and his son drove to Chicago in the morning. The sheriff had really come around on the older boy and was truly sorry for them both, but also appreciated what Joaquin was doing for his son. Kevin had a whole new world ahead of him and trying to explore it while hanging onto his high school love was sure to tear him apart. His respect for the Serpent (already high) grew even more.

They didn’t say much, focusing on the “miss you”s and “remember when”s more than the “what-if”s, as they’d both decided. They made love, and held each other, and maybe their eyes got a bit wet, but Monday morning after their final kisses and embraces they said goodbye. They’d both agreed that going cold-turkey would be best—it’d be hard to get over each other if they stayed in touch, and they needed to get used to a new normal without each other. It had hurt, but Kevin had survived and the excitement of a new city—an _actual_ city—had helped tremendously. He still loved Joaquin, but by the end of the semester he wasn’t in _love_ with Joaquin and could even start dating.

They didn’t get in touch when Kevin would come back for the holidays—it would hardly help things. By the time they were at a point where they probably could safely meet up, they’d both gotten used to a world where they _weren’t_ in direct contact. It never occurred to them to ‘catch up’ the few instances when Kevin was in Riverdale, and their busy schedules (and different time zones) precluded any other forms of communication. The silence wasn’t due to rancor or resentment; when they thought of their old loves they both had only happy memories and best wishes. They simply had new lives. Besides, they had a basic idea of what the other was up to from their parents: Kevin still sent “Mama D” a card every Mother’s Day and Christmas, and she and Sheriff Keller would swap stories when they inevitably ran into each other. Come to think of it…

 

“Hey! _Very_ belated congratulations on the wedding! And baby! _Wow_!” Kevin clapped the other man on the back with a smile. He’d meant to send a card when his dad had told him about the marriage and soon-to-be-born DeSantos but had gotten side-tracked and then it felt too late when he’d finally remembered.

But Joaquin just winced. “You know how they say the toughest years are the first year after you get married and the first year after you have a kid? Well, let’s just say if they’re the _same_ year it’s even worse. Especially if it’s two kids. We had twins, yeah?”

“Shit, I’m so sorry! Not about the twins, about the…” Kevin started but Joaquin cut him off with a forgiving wave.  And Kevin realized there was no wedding ring on that hand.

“Don’t worry about it! It’s all for the best, it all worked out. We basically got married because Amber was pregnant and…Catholic, ya know? I mean, I loved her and all and I really hoped it would work, but we didn’t know each other well enough I guess. I never hid anything from her about my past but somehow she hadn’t realized that I’d mostly been with men before her. So she was _really_ insecure about me cheating on her, me hooking up with guys. Didn’t realize that until it was too late.”

He sighed and continued. “But the real problem was that she didn’t like being a mom. I’d hoped it was some postpartum thing, she went to therapy, _we_ went to therapy, she got all checked out by doctors and stuff. But it was just…never there for her. She said she never felt that switch flip ‘on’ or something; she resented them instead. She felt like she _ought_ to be a mother. Be a good girl, have a big family and all that. But once she had it, she felt like it was ‘suffocating her.’ That we were ‘killing her.’” He winced again, then shrugged. “So she’s off living in Tampa, having lots and lots of sex with lots of big muscle-y guys. Which is apparently what she always wanted but never admitted to herself. I’m happy for her. Follow your bliss, right? Monogamy and kids aren’t for everyone. And that’s OK.”

Kevin was gobsmacked, but Joaquin just grinned as he handed Kevin his cup and pulled a small square out of his pocket. He unfolded it twice to be a larger touchscreen and pressed a few buttons to display a picture of two adorable toddlers. “And that means I get these beauties all to myself! That’s my Josafina and Roberto.”

“Let me guess,” Kevin said with a smile as the proud papa swiped through a gallery showcasing his twins’ cuteness (which was incredibly high). “Josie and Robby?” He remembered the DeSantos family trend of giving nicknames to everyone. Eventually, even he had become ‘Kevo’ to the girls and Mama D.

“Close! Josa and Beto. _Mi vida_.”

“They’re beautiful,” Kevin assured him. They were. They looked like they were around 2 ½, with big big eyes and big big grins.

“They’re trouble,” Joaquin added with a chuckle. “Mama helps me a lot—she’s basically co-parenting—and Bella too since she’s back home. But how about you? Last thing I heard was you’d just gotten engaged…you must be married now right?” He grinned in anticipation of Kevin’s happy news.

But now it was Kevin’s turn to wince. “Let’s just say I’m not quite as forgiving as you are when it comes to my partner having ‘lots and lots of sex with muscley-guys.’ Since he was doing that while we were still together.”

Joaquin scowled at the mere idea of someone being so stupid and shook his head. “ _Cabrón._ What a dick. I’m sorry, man. That sucks.”

But Kevin shook his head and shrugged. “It did, but now it doesn’t. It was what, a year ago? His loss.”

Joaquin folded up the screen to be a small square again and put it in his pocket. “So…you’re in town to visit your dad then? How long you staying for?” He took back his coffee cup and took a big sip.

“Actually, I just moved back. Got here a few days ago, not leaving for the foreseeable future.”

Joaquin managed to avoid a spit-take but still looked incredibly surprised. Which…wasn’t surprising. After they’d graduated, Kevin’s posse had split town and most hadn’t returned. The exception was Cheryl: She raced through business school then came back to save her family’s floundering company. Betty had initially moved back to take over her parent’s newspaper and give Kevin’s dad agita, then had moved on to bigger things in a bigger city not too far away from Riverdale. The rest had long been scattered. Josie and Archie were in LA, last he’d heard (the former had made it big, the latter hadn’t—yet). Veronica was kicking ass and taking names in NYC after she got her MBA from Stanford. He’d lost track of Jughead, but he was sure Betty knew what he was up to.

“My dad’s getting older and I don’t want him to be alone all the time,” Kevin explained. “So when I saw there was an opening at town hall for program manager and director of special projects, I pounced. I start in two weeks. Gives me time to get settled into the old house.” And navigate how he was going to live with his father as a grown man. He had no intention of regressing to their high school dynamics, but he wasn’t sure how to be ‘roomies’ with dear old dad yet. They were going to start hashing that out over dinner tonight.

“That’s awesome!” Joaquin exclaimed and gave him a fist bump. “Welcome back to Riverdale, preppy.”

Kevin had felt a little spark when their hands made contact and again when he heard the old nickname but ignored it. It was just the excitement of seeing an old flame, right? Granted, an old flame who he’d always carried a bit of a torch for…

His thoughts were cut off by an alert from Joaquin’s smartwatch.

“That’s work…shit! I gotta go, I was just supposed to take a quick break. But we should get together, right? Catch up?” He looked like he meant it, that he wasn’t just paying lip-service to an old friend.

Kevin stared at Joaquin, who was staring back at him despite his need to hurry. After a few moments, Kevin spoke.

“Give me your phone,” he demanded with a twinkle in his eyes, echoing their first meeting. “Shit, I sound like an old man! Give me your devi.” The term ‘smartphone’ had finally gone out of fashion years ago with the advent of the ‘personal foldable smart devices’ or PFDs that everyone now carried. Especially since people rarely made actual phone calls these days.

The other man smiled and pulled the small square object back out, then unfolded it once to the size of a dollar bill. “Contacts,” he voice-commanded then handed the devi over to Kevin. He entered his details, and folded it shut again.

“If that’s your number,” Joaquin said with a grin. “I’ll most _definitely_ be using it. Good to see you, Kev! Later!” And he hurried away, leaving Kevin’s head awhirl.

 ***

They met up at Pop’s, of course. The titular founder had passed on, but Cheryl had bought the diner once her family’s finances had turned things around. It still served burgers and other classics, but now also offered breakfast all day—with Blossom syrup, naturally. They even served maple syrup milkshakes. (Plus the color scheme of the diner matched Cheryl’s signature look, so really the acquisition made perfect sense.)

Joaquin was now clean-shaven and wearing a white v-neck t-shirt and dark jeans; the outfit was raising all sorts of hell in Kevin’s memories. Aaannd now Kevin could see his tattoos, which made things so much worse. Where the old Southside Serpent logo used to be, there was now a green serpentine dragon with orange and green feathers. On his other forearm he had…wait, were those sea otters!?!

“Oh my god, explain!” he said with a squeal and pointed. Joaquin had liked cats, sure, but he’d never struck Kevin as a ‘cute and cuddly critter tattoo’ type of guy.

The other man looked down at the tattoo in question and smiled. “Oh right. See, when _los nenes_ were first born, they had _all_ this hair. _So_ much fucking hair. They just looked so damn fluffy. And they liked to sleep either on top of each other or right next to each other, like holding hands ya know? Still do, actually…Anyway, someone gave us a book that was ‘Goodnight, Moon’ but with otters in the ocean. ‘ _Buenos noches, pequeña nutria_.’ And I thought that it looked like them…Here, look.” He reached into his pocket for his devi and pulled up a specific picture. True enough, it was two babies with hilariously thick dark hair—they were both on their backs and the one was resting on the other’s stomach. With their big heads and dark hair, they _did_ look a bit like two little otters. “So I got this for my _pequeña nutrias_.”

“That is maybe the cutest thing _ever_ ,” Kevin assured him, and Joaquin’s smile was enough to melt their milkshakes. “You made sea otters even _cuter_ , because now I’ll always think of adorable babies too!” He smiled again at the devi, then nodded towards the other arm. “What’s up with that one, then? Did you finally leave the Serpents?”

“What Serpents?” Joaquin asked with a wry smile. “I mean, they’re— _we’re_ —still around but it’s not a big deal, and certainly isn’t a gang. Just old guys riding bikes and talking about the ‘glory days’ when we were bad-asses. The Wyrm’s closed now. When pot got legalized, it really shifted things, yeah? We could either ratchet it up or down. We went with down, rather than get into harder shit or hookers. The few guys who disagreed broke off on their own and got arrested in no time, so goes to show we chose right. Plus, the Southside is _loads_ better now, so there aren’t new recruits.” He rubbed the dragon thoughtfully. “But enough older people are still a bit nervous about the symbol, so I got Quetzalcoatl here as a cover-up to seem less scary.”

“I bet the otters help with that too,” Kevin quipped and Joaquin nodded with a wry smile.

They swapped stories of their lives from the past decade.  Kevin talked about college and grad school for his Master’s in Public Administration, about living in Chicago then Minneapolis. Joaquin mentioned his work briefly (he was a partner these days) but mostly told talked about his family. Mama D was still at the hospital; she’d become a nurse’s assistant like she wanted and even became shift supervisor though she worked a lot less these days in order to help out with the babies. Joaquin beamed as he bragged about his sisters, now all grown up. “Saba’s joining the Air Force after college, she wants to fly those new space planes. And you’ll never guess about Bella—she’s joining the Sheriff’s Department!”

Kevin roared with laughter at the idea that the little girl who painted his nails and learned Beyoncé dances with him was now going to be working for his father. Well, for one or two years. Hopefully his dad would be ready to retire soon, he was having some mobility issues due to some back problems. Who knows, maybe Isabella would one day take his place! Kevin knew his father would be just as amused by the idea—he’d met Joaquin’s family back when they were dating and liked them as much as Kevin had. The DeSantos family had been easy to like, after all. And it seems like nothing had changed on that front.

At one point, Joaquin looked as if he’d had a sudden thought. “This is the first time I’ve been out to dinner without the munchkins in fuckin’ _ages._ It’s nice to not have to argue for you to eat your damn food! The last time I was here, there was an _epic_ meltdown over chicken fingers vs. grilled cheese.” He shook his head, chuckling. “Because Mama and Bella watch _los nenes_ while I’m working, I feel bad asking them to babysit for other stuff. And they’re not comfortable being left with strangers yet. So these days, my friends mainly come to me to drink a beer on the patio. Or I invade their homes with my tiny terrors.”

“But you got a sitter tonight?”

“Are you kidding me, preppy? When Mama heard you were back in town, she _literally_ jumped for joy. She practically kicked me out the door tonight. She said we should get a chance to catch up first, because you’ve _got_ to come see her ASAP and she’s going to monopolize your attention then.”

“Of course! I can’t wait to see her! And Bella! And little Josa and Beto!” He paused, wondering if perhaps he was assuming too much. “That is, I mean, if you want me to…” Just because they’d once been inseparable doesn’t mean that Joaquin wanted Kevin to weasel his way back into his family _now_.

Joaquin just looked at him like he’d started speaking in tongues. “What the fuck, Kev? _Of course_ I want you to meet them! Hell, you’ll probably be _Tio_ Preppy in no time.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “You want to hang out and stuff, right? I just assumed…”

“No, no!” Kevin cut him off. “I mean, yes! Shit, the only other person I know in town is Cheryl and we were never proper ‘friends’ _._ So until I get settled, I’m going to rely on you for some semblance of a social life!”

Joaquin laughed at that. “The lame single father who doesn’t go out much? I sure hope your new coworkers are cool. But you know Ethyl’s back too, right?  You two were friendly…” They chatted a bit more about who else was around and Joaquin got him caught up on some of the juiciest gossip.  Eventually, there came an alert from Joaquin’s watch.

“Shit, man. I gotta head home. Early day tomorrow. Plus Mama is probably exhausted from the bedtime/bath time battle. Usually we tag-team it.”

They walked out together, still talking. Kevin saw that Joaquin had a bike again. “Yeah, these days with self-driving cars there’s a lot less risk. Otherwise I would never, not with _los nenes_. Though these new ones just aren’t the same…” As he explained how automation and other safety features had fundamentally changed motorcycles, they drifted closer and closer to one another. Kevin wasn’t listening as carefully as he maybe should have (he’d _always_ been like that with Joaquin & his toys) but instead was simply enjoying being in the other man’s presence once again. Joaquin seemed to be in a similar state, if the number of times he looked at Kevin’s mouth was any clue.

The air between them felt charged, and they both noticed it. They leaned in towards one another, then froze. Eventually, Kevin broke the tension with a shrug and a chuckle. “Huh, this is a little weird, right?”

“Yeah. But it makes sense…we were never just friends before.”

“It’s like an old habit, right? Auto pilot?” It _did_ seem like Kevin’s arms and lips had a mind of their own; they’d always hugged and kissed Joaquin upon parting. Although it had been years since they’d done so, it had _been_ that way for years, too. He literally couldn’t recall the last time they’d said goodbye without a single kiss.

“Sure, that makes sense. ‘Specially since this is really the first time we’ve hung out in years, and we don’t have _this_ ” Joaquin waved back and forth between them “down yet.” He shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

“Yeah. Totally.”

But despite their words, their eyes stayed locked until they were eventually startled by someone unlocking their car. They exchanged small smiles, then said goodbye and went their separate ways.

 ***

“Kevo!!! _Mijo_! Ah, it’s _so_ good to see you, _lindo_!!!” Mama D had barely let Kevin get through the door before she’d wrapped him in an anaconda-like embrace. Kevin had no complaints; he was squeezing back just as tightly. In the three years he’d been with Joaquin, she’d become like a mother to him as well and he’d missed her terribly. She was older but just as feisty as ever—she quickly pulled Kevin over to the couch and started interrogating him about his life, his new job, everything, all the while holding his hand tightly in her own and occasionally leaning over to pinch his cheek or ruffle his hair.

After 20 minutes or so, Joaquin entered the room carrying his kids like surfboards—one under each arm. They were both squealing hysterically and calling out ‘Papa, no!’ Although they were kicking in seeming protestation, they both seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely.

Joaquin smiled broadly when he saw Kevin. “Oh, you’re here! I didn’t hear you come in because of these noisy _lobos_. C’mon, _cariños_. Papa has a very special friend he’d like you to meet.” He gently placed them both down, and Roberto immediately ran behind Joaquin’s legs to hide. “Don’t mind him, Kev, he’s like that with anyone new. Josa, can you say ‘hello’ to Kevo? _Di hola._ ”

Kevin squatted down to be closer to eye height and gave the little girl a big, friendly smile. It wasn’t hard—she was like a miniature Saba or Bella. “Well hello there, sweetie! I’m Kevo!” After a second’s thought, he added “ _¡Hola! ¡Mucho gusto! ¡Me llamo Kevo!_ ” Joaquin was switching back and forth between English and Spanish with them, and he didn’t know what the girl would understand best. And that much Spanish he could remember at least.

Josafina beamed back at him with a soft ‘ _hola_ ’ then launched herself at him, much to Kevin’s surprise. She seized his face and rubbed her nose against his. When she let go of his face, she started trying to climb on his back.

Mama D laughed. “She likes you! She only does that with people she likes! Our little _conejito._ No idea where she picked that up.”

“She was headbutting people for a while, this is much better,” Joaquin said with a chuckle. “Now how about you, Beto? Can you say hi to papa’s friend, too? _¿_ _Di hola?_ ” Beto snuck a peek at Kevin from between his father’s legs and shook his head frantically. “Alright, _chulo._ You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Joaquin shrugged at Kevin, who shrugged back dismissively.

Kevin waved at the little boy anyway. “It’s OK, buddy. You take your time. Sometimes it’s good to be careful around new people, but you can trust me! I’m here when you’re ready. _¡Mucho gusto, Beto!_ ” By now, Josa had wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, so Kevin rapidly (and carefully) stood up, carrying the girl piggy-back style. She laughed, thrilled to be up so high.

“Kevo sure is taller than Papa, huh?” Joaquin asked her with an exaggerated sigh. “Life is unfair like that sometimes.” She giggled at his tone.

Kevin bounced the little girl a few times. “But Papa is more handsome than Kevo, so it all works out!” He then bent in half, leaning so far forwards that he could flip the little girl back to the ground. She giggled again then ran off towards a box of toys, Beto following her.

“Oh my god, they are _so_ cute!” he told Joaquin and Mama D, who both beamed proudly. “Like seriously, they are the cutest kids I’ve ever seen.” He wasn’t exaggerating. He’d always thought of Joaquin as one of the most beautiful men he’d ever dated, so tiny versions of him were utterly _adorable_.

Joaquin gave Kevin hearty pat on the back for that. “Well, _I_ think so but I always figured that’s because I helped make ‘em. So thanks!” Josa had come back over to them all to hand Kevin an action figure—some sort of superhero, he figured. Kevin responded with exaggerated admiration then handed it back to her. She grinned and toddled off again. “You’re good with kids, preppy.”

He shrugged. “A few of my friends in Minneapolis had some. Honestly, that was the worst part about ending things with Soren: We’d talked about becoming foster parents after we got married, hopefully to adopt. I had a harder time letting go of that idea than I did letting go of him.” He sighed. That was still sad, even if he knew he was well rid of his ex-fiancé.

Mama D growled some curses and threats at the absent Soren from under her breath; Joaquin frowned sympathetically.

“That sucks, Kev. Well any time you need to scratch your paternal itch, you come right over. We’ve got _niños_ to spare and can always use a helping hand. As you will now see first-hand as we feed the little monsters! _Cariños!_ _La cena!_ ”

 

He wasn’t kidding: Dinner was a battle. Beto had seemingly hollow legs and kept demanding more food by pointing and loudly grunting instead of using his words as requested. Josa, on the other hand, refused to eat entirely until Kevin started singing a little song in a silly voice. They struck a deal: He’d sing but only while she was eating.

Mama D sighed. “I know you’re not supposed to negotiate so much with them at this age, but _Dio_ that one is difficult! And I suspect she’s just going to get worse.”

Joaquin grinned at Kevin. “Sometimes, I picture her as a teeny-tiny Cheryl. ‘My way, naturally! Why would there even _be_ any other way?’  ya know?”

“That is both funny and terrifying,” Kevin said seriously. He waggled his finger at Josa. “Don’t be a diva, sweetie! Remember that other people matter too!” She just stared at him for a beat before demanding ‘again!’. He sighed and resumed singing.

There was some post-dinner playtime to ‘get the crazies out’ as Mama D put it. To his happy surprise, Kevin felt a little tug on his pant leg and saw that Beto was demanding to go up high like his sister had. He did the little boy one better: He flew Beto around the room like he was Superman, causing the boy to cackle with glee. He then of course had to do the same for Josa. He was glad that it had been a leg day, work-out wise—they were solid little kids!

“OK, OK, time to say bye-bye to Kevo!” Joaquin announced. Their little faces fell, which made Kevin’s heart flipflop. “I’m sure he’ll come to play again soon, right?” Kevin grinned and nodded, and their smiles returned. They both blew kisses at him and said ‘bye-bye!’ as instructed. “Now it’s time to get ready for bed!” He started singing a little song in Spanish—Kevin caught the word ‘bath’ and ‘dreams’ but his Spanish was rusty after too much disuse. He’d never been truly fluent, but he maintained conversational Spanish all through grad school. He hoped it would come back soon.

Kevin watched fondly as Mama D swept Beto off to the bathroom for some tub-time, while Joaquin carried Josa towards the twins’ bedroom for extra stories. He’d explained to Kev that they rotated who got what, depending on the day. This way, each twin got some one-on-one time with Papa and _Abuelita_ , and they didn’t have to deal with two slippery toddlers at once.

Left alone with his thoughts, Kevin thought again about how his life had changed in a way he hadn’t expected. He was supposed to be married by now, maybe starting a family of his own. But instead he was back in Riverdale, where he never imagined he’d live again. Before his thoughts could get too maudlin, though, Bella came home. Almost immediately, she threw herself towards Kevin with an excited squeal and they chatted excitedly as the twins got ready for bed.

 

The adults all talked a bit longer after Joaquin and his mother reemerged. Kevin again complimented them on the twins, and Joaquin preened proudly.

“We’re pretty happy with them, I guess we’ll keep them,” he said with a contented smile. He seemed to be completely in his element: After all, ‘happy papa’ Joaquin was the natural extension of ‘proud _hermano_ Joaquin.’ Funny, while Kevin’s interest had initially been piqued by the seeming bad boy, Joaquin had always been, in his own way, the boy next door. And now Joaquin was even more of a family man than he’d been back then.

Still, his bad boy appeal had never been _completely_ gone, even after Joaquin had turned over a new leaf. Back in the day, Kevin had always found him hot as fuck when he acted the tough guy with his friends, and nearly _died_ of lust whenever he’d borrow a friend’s motorcycle. (Kevin always refused to go on one himself, but he had no shame in admitting that Joaquin on a bike was capital-s Sexy…as was still the case today.) He didn’t just act the tough guy, either—he’d still been hard as nails, especially if someone he cared about was being threatened. More than once, he’d scared off bigots who were giving them grief and probably did a lot to change their impression of queer men as weak. He was generally careful not to take it too far (he was trying to stay out of jail, after all) but that got pushed aside when some creepy high schooler started stalking and harassing 13-year-old Bella. He’d had _no_ qualms about giving the boy a serious beating—black eyes, missing tooth, the whole nine yards—and Kevin to admit to himself that bloody knuckles could sometimes be sexy. Fortunately, the boy had enough sense to not press charges and leave Bella alone. He had no doubt that Joaquin would do the same (or worse) for Beto and Josa if necessary.

Maybe the most memorable example of just how scary-hot Joaquin could be was the time they were both at the White Wyrm—Joaquin typically didn’t take Kevin there for obvious reasons but it had been a close friend’s birthday and besides, they’d serve Kevin without any ID. Joaquin had stepped outside for a smoke (which he really only did when he was drinking) and Kevin was headed back from the men’s room when Lonny, a new recruit around his age cornered him. Kevin was a bit tipsy and honestly didn’t remember what the young serpent had said to him, but he was rapidly pressed up against the wall against his will as Lonny licked his neck and fondled his chest.

Kevin had tried to push him away, but Lonny just chuckled and pressed against him even tighter, grinding into him. “I see why DeSantos likes you, Keller. You’re some high-quality tail, aren’t you? Worth putting up with your asshole sheriff of a father…” At that, his hand snuck around to get a fistful of Kevin’s ass. But before he could do anything else, he was yanked away.

Kevin hadn’t seen exactly what Joaquin had done, but it likely involved kneeing Lonny in the groin and punching his face because his eyes were tearing and his lip was bleeding. Joaquin had turned the tables, and now had the much-taller Lonny pressed against the wall, holding his forearm across the boy’s throat to keep him from breathing…the fact that he was hunched over in pain probably helped with that.

 “I must be drunker than I thought since I’m hallucinating. Because there’s no way I just saw you harassing Kevin, right?” Joaquin’s tone was icy and detached, and utterly terrifying. He pressed harder against Lonny’s neck, making him gasp.  “You wouldn’t disrespect _my boyfriend,_ Lonny…that’d be too dumb even for you right?” After letting the boy flail and turn slightly blue, he eased up enough to let him answer.

“Yes! No! I mean, I didn’t mean…”

Wrong answer. Lonny’s air was cut off again. “You didn’t mean to grope him? You’ve got no control over your fucking hands? Or you didn’t mean any harm? Do I seem like the type of guy who’d be OK with some dipshit molesting my man?!?”

After another few tense moments, Joaquin let Lonny breath again. “I’m sorry! I don’t know what I was thinking, I’m so sorry man!” He was crying now, in pain or fear or both.

“You _weren’t_ thinking, motherfucker,” Joaquin growled. “That’s a habit that might get you killed some day. And I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.” Joaquin turned to look at Kevin and arched an eyebrow at him expectantly.

Kevin slapped Lonny in the face. “That’s for me,” he hissed, then spat at the boy’s feet. “And that’s for calling my dad an asshole.”

Joaquin winked at his boyfriend, then turned back to the hapless Lonny. “Apologize to Kevin. And Sheriff Keller. _Now._ ”

Lonny babbled something that was probably half apology, half begging for mercy. This entire time, no one else in the bar had reacted.  They hadn’t needed to—Joaquin was clearly in the right here. Lonny, even though he was only a probationary member of the gang, should have known better than to insult/assault a fellow serpent’s significant other. Kevin was under their protection in a way that he wasn’t yet. If Joaquin hadn’t pulled Lonny off him, someone else would have on his behalf. And now Lonny was unlikely to ever be a full member.

Seeing that things were dying down, some other serpents moved in at that point to take Lonny off Joaquin’s hands. Kevin suspected he was going to be ‘escorted out’ of both the bar and the gang, and honestly couldn’t bring himself to feel any pity for the major beating he was likely to get. The only thing he could think about was pulling Joaquin into the men’s room and showing him _exactly_ what he thought of his heroics. They received quite a lot of lewd teasing when they eventually emerged, Joaquin staggering to the nearest barstool before his wobbly legs gave out and Kevin’s hair and mouth in complete disarray, but neither of them seemed to mind in the slightest.

Kevin shook his head and smiled, trying to reconcile that Joaquin with the man before him now. But even though Joaquin was clearly ecstatic with his family, there was also the glint in his eye that suggested he was still a bit of a troublemaker, and something he said about a controversial politician hinted that he still had a protective temper. Yeah, this man would become Papa Bear if necessary. And Kevin suspected (unconsciously, admittedly) that he’d be _incredibly_ hot in that mode.

 ***

“You ready to finally start work?” Joaquin asked as he and Kevin each had a beer on the back patio. Kevin had been over for dinner quite a few times these past two weeks—he’d even brought his father twice. Things between Kevin and the DeSantos were as natural and as comfortable as they'd ever been; it was as if no time had passed.

“As ready as I can be, yeah. I’m looking forward to it—it’s been weird to just hang out around the house this whole time, not working. That reminds me, I’ve got to get some movers. My storage pod should arrive this weekend.” He and his father had decided how to share the house, and he’d finally had the last of his stuff sent on from Minneapolis.

“Shut the fuck up, Keller. You don’t need to pay movers. I’ll help. So will Tank and Joe—did I tell you Joe’s finally done with the Marines? He got back a few months ago.”

“No, you didn’t and no, I can’t let you guys help! It’s a _lot:_ We’re moving dad’s bedroom downstairs to the den, the den to the old dining room, and the dining room to…damn, Goodwill I guess? It’s basically musical chairs with a house’s worth of furniture, which is way too much to ask.” His father and he had decided that Kevin would take over the upstairs, specifically the master bedroom. Because of his back, Sheriff Keller had been sleeping on the couch in the den most nights anyway. So they’d officially move him downstairs and get rid of the formal dining room they’d never really used.

Joaquin waved dismissively. “No big deal, I’m telling you. You provide the pizza and beer, I’ll take care of the muscle. Hell, I bet Tank will even take the dining room table and shit. He’s just moved into a new house with his old lady and needs more furniture.”

Kevin tried arguing, but Joaquin just ignored him. “If we need an extra set of hands, my co-worker Daveed is just _massive._ You’d like him, his kids are into Broadway and that shit so he’s hard-core thrown himself into it too. Wants them to know he cares about the stuff that’s important to them and all that. And show his little boy that it’s cool for a big macho guy to like musicals.”

Kevin smiled and shook his head. “You’re unreal, you know that? You’re super nice, your family & friends are super nice, and now your coworkers are super nice too? You make Riverdale seem like Pleasantville.”

Joaquin barked a short laugh. “Actually, my _other_ coworker Roger is a total prick. I hate that motherfucker. You would too, if you knew him.” 

Kevin smiled. “But seriously, thanks for doing so much to help me settle back in. To be honest, at first I wasn’t too thrilled to have to leave the city and all, but you all are making Riverdale feel like home again. Which means the _world_ to me—I wouldn’t want my dad to feel guilty about me needing to come back. You know what he’s like.”

The older man patted him on the back and handed him another beer. “Totally, preppy. I get it. Your dad is proud, he doesn’t want to feel like a burden. And yeah, we might not be as fancy as Chicago or Minneapolis, but Riverdale’s actually a pretty sweet place to live these days. Not the backwoods nightmare it used to be for LGBTQs, at least. After you went off to college, we got Grindr and everything. Just 10 years or so after the rest of the country.” He laughed, and Kevin joined him.

“You mean no more wandering the woods alone at night to find a hook up? What a relief!”

“Heh, yeah. That was sketch as fuck, right? I never really liked Grindr though…felt too much like ordering dick from Amazon. I always preferred meeting in person to see if you clicked, right?”

Kevin nodded, thinking of the ‘click’ he’d felt with people over the years. That instant chemistry that was almost indescribable, but ultimately came down to a primal _yes him_ _yes._ Not something that could be conveyed electronically.

“There’s a club over in Greenvale that started doing monthly gay nights years ago too, though I was way too old for that shit even in my 20s. We might not have gay choirs or gay kickball leagues but there’s a local bar that does the occasional queer night…I like to go to that when I can, show support. I’ll find out when the next one is, let you know when it is. We’ll check it out together, yeah?”

“Great!” Kevin agreed, and clinked bottles with Joaquin. “So you’re telling me the gay dating scene is not as hopeless as it was back in the day? That’s good to know.” They’d previously established that they were both single—Joaquin didn’t have much time for dating these days since his family came first and Kevin hadn’t wanted to start anything before moving back to Riverdale.

Joaquin gasped with mock outrage. “Hopeless?! Preppy, you hit the jackpot with that scene ‘back in the day’ remember.”

Kevin rolled his eyes and elbowed the other man. “I _meant_ before you, obviously.”

“Yeah, it’s not the barren wasteland it used to be. I’ve managed to find some decent guys over the years.”

“And decent women, too. Or at least one, right?” Kevin added. He’d gathered that Joaquin didn’t seem to hold much resentment for his ex and wouldn’t mind talking about her. And he had to admit he was curious—this was the woman Joaquin had married, who he’d planned on spending his life with. Joaquin had already asked him about Soren, it was his turn now.

“Yeah, Amber was cool. Funny as hell—real feisty and mean but in a good way? Lots of street smarts while also being a total goofball. She liked bikes, too. Met her when I was handling her heating as part of that required upgrade a few years back—the whole town is basically geothermal now, you know that right? Anyway, there was just something about her, we definitely had that click… sure confused the fuck out of mama, though.”

“How so?”

“Well, you know me and labels. When I came out to her I just said ‘I like boys’ since it was easier than ‘I’m primarily but not exclusively attracted to people who present as masculine’ or something. So since she’d always thought of me as ‘gay’ she didn’t understand how one day I had a girlfriend. Amber was the only woman I dated who it got serious enough to introduce her to the family, so it really hadn’t really come up before then.”

Kevin smiled—he could practically picture the exchange between Mama D and her son. ‘What do you mean ‘you sometimes like girls too’ Chimo!? Are you telling me all this time I could have been setting you up with nice men _and_ nice women from the hospital?!  There are so many nurses and doctors who you’d have been a good match for! Why didn’t you tell me, _mijo_? Just because I’m old doesn’t mean I don’t understand things. I watch Oprah, I’m hip! She had an episode about fluid and poly and Pam people once. I don’t know what those terms mean, but I know them!’

“Anyway, I’ve got no regrets about Amber because it got me _mi_ _cariños_ but man did the divorce hurt. Rejection always stings, right? And when it’s not just you getting rejected but the whole family….me and _los nenes_ … not gonna lie, that was fucking rough _._ Her feeling suffocated was ultimately her issue, but it was hard not to take personally. Because I was so happy with our life, ya know? I wanted a family, wanted to be a husband, wanted a chance to be the father I didn’t have. To hear that it was _killing_ her…” Joaquin let out a long breath and shook his head.

“Fuck emotional trauma,” Kevin said simply. “And thank god for therapists.” Joaquin nodded and they once again clinked bottles.

“We’re cool now,” Joaquin added after taking a long drink. “She knows that she can have a relationship with them if she wants. She signed away her rights so she doesn’t owe any child support, but that doesn’t mean there needs to be no contact, and if she changes her mind we can always renegotiate. I’d send her updates if she wants; now she’s ok with the occasional picture. Meanwhile _los nenes_ see her pictures and know she’s their mother but they also know she’s not ‘mama’. She said she feels more like a distant aunt…maybe they’ll feel the same. But Amber’s parents are still Nana and Pop-Pop, they’re in touch regularly. They’re good people, I’m glad that they have them in their life.”

Kevin shook his head, puzzled at the idea of someone _not_ wanting a relationship with Josa and Beto but this was a perspective he couldn’t really take. Someone who did want kids wouldn’t really see the point of view of someone who didn’t, and vice versa. “You’re handling this so well. I’m so impressed.” If he’d been in Joaquin’s shoes, he’d probably be pissed off and heartbroken even if it had been two years.

Joaquin gave a sad smile and shrugged. “What else could I do? I always wanted to be ‘papa’ and if this isn’t quite how I’d planned it still beats being in an unhappy marriage or not having the munchkins. Mama’s been a rock; I couldn’t do it without her. And I’m not always so chill about it all…I have nightmares about trying to explain this to them when they’re older. How are they not going to feel rejected? They _were_ rejected. It wasn’t their fault, but it’s going to hurt. How could it not!?”

Kevin nodded. “They’ll be OK. I was. You were. It sucks, but it doesn’t have to crush them if they know how much _you_ wanted them and care about them. That’s what worked for us, right?”

Joaquin nodded. “That’s what I’m counting on, yeah.” Another sigh and a shake of the head. “On that happy note, I’m gonna call it a night. We’ll talk more about the move some other night…you free Thursday?”

“You know I am,” Kevin said with a resigned chuckle. He didn’t mind spending so much time with the DeSantos family—he loved it, in fact—but they really were his _only_ social life right now. He hoped that would change soon.

“Then you know the deal. Get here before dinner for some playtime or else _los lobos_ will howl. Bring your dad if he’s free. Night, preppy!” With a ‘bro hug’ that still felt a bit foreign, the two men went their separate ways.

 

From the concession stand, Kevin looked over at Moose and Midge going at it like suckerfish and sighed. Alone again, naturally. How pathetic. Pining over a closeted, bi-curious, philandering meathead. Simply because he was the best of Kevin’s weak pickings. And here he was, playing gay bestie to not one but two girls who could get a boy with just the snap of her fingers…well, maybe in Cheryl’s case it would be more out of fear than desire but the point was she had options. Aaand to top it all off, now the kid at the cash register was judging him for his stress eating. Well, fuck him!

 Carbs in hand, he turned and nearly collided with the guy he’d noticed earlier. Kinda impossible _not_ to notice, really. Not with those eyes…those eyes that had been staring so intently at Kevin.

“Not so tough without your beard, are you?”

“Excuse me?” Kevin asked. He had to have misheard. Did this man—wait no, this boy, not too much older than Kevin—think Veronica was his _beard_?

“I _said,_ not so tough without your beard? Are you gonna shush me again, or do you need the rich bitch princess to guard your back?” The look in the boy’s eyes was hard to place…he might have been teasing, or he might have been legitimately starting shit. Great. Just what Kevin needed. This night kept getting better and better.

He sighed. “Listen, buddy, I don’t need a beard. I’ve got nothing to hide. And you all deserved to be shushed! Loud people at the movies are the _worst_!”

The boy—and oh seriously, those eyes were ridiculous—smirked and took a step towards Kevin. Who promptly took a step back. “The _worst_? Really? Worse than Nazis and ISIS and child molesters?”

Kevin rolled his eyes. “Well _excuse me_ for being hyperbolic. Your friends were being disruptive and that’s not cool.”

Another smirk. “I don’t know, disruptions aren’t all bad. I think your night could stand for a little disruption, yeah?” Another step forward, echoed by another step backwards.

Kevin honestly didn’t know if the other guy was flirting with him or threatening him. As much as he hoped for the former, with his luck it was the latter. He _did_ know that he’d been backed behind the concession stand and was now out of public view. Dammit. He glanced around and saw there weren’t more guys with leather jackets waiting to jump him. That was good, at least.

“Listen, I don’t know what you think you’re up to but don’t assume that I’m an easy target because I’m gay. I box, I wrestle.” He tensed slightly, shifting into a position where he could defend himself if need be.

Instead of backing off, though, the other boy cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah!? That’s hot.”  He swept in, and with a brief pause to allow Kevin to say no and/or leave, the strange boy pressed Kevin up against the fence and kissed him like there was no tomorrow. Which was unexpected, sure, but Kevin was nothing if not adaptable. Within seconds he’d dropped the snacks and grabbed onto the other boy, giving as good as he was getting.

Kevin had clearly misjudged the other boy but he had _no_ complaints about being wrong: this guy was hot as fuck and their kisses were hot, savage, and intense. He wanted nothing more than to keep going, to let this stranger press him further into the chain-link fence, to explore his lips and mouth and neck, to pull that hair and see what was under than sexy jacket…but Veronica would come looking for him soon. Or worse, Cheryl. Before he could get too far gone, he pulled back.  And oh, what luck, the boy—Joaquin?—with whom he had enough sparks to start a wildfire was a Southside Serpent. Because of course he was. It was that kind of night. Yet he found himself not caring. Not when Joaquin could kiss like this _…yes him yes._

 

Kevin woke up, panting. He hadn’t thought about his first meeting with Joaquin in years _,_ but their earlier conversation about chemistry must have triggered some memories. Because the chemistry between Kevin and Joaquin had been _extremely_ memorable—he’d only had that kind of instant connection with a small handful of lovers over the years. What’s more, the physical chemistry between them had been accompanied by something more—a deep emotional connection that he’d also only known two or three times. At the time, Kevin hadn’t realized how special their combination of passion and intimacy had been but years of dating taught him otherwise.

He groaned. This was a problem. His need to jump on Joaquin and stick his tongue down his throat was increasing at such a rate where he doubted his self-control would hold out for much longer. But they were friends now. Basically Kevin’s _only_ friend in town. He couldn’t fuck that up. Plus, he was likely over-idealizing their past relationship. Nostalgia did that, right? Made you forget the bad and focus on the good? It was simply because it was _Joaquin,_ the one where Kevin had often wondered ‘what if?’ late at night. Plus Joaquin had the beautiful family that Kevin longed for. He was attracted to what Joaquin represented, not the actual person. Probably. Partially. The lust and affection would fade, given time.

Except it hadn’t been fading. Not during the past two weeks. If anything, it had been building. Joaquin was more attractive & appealing now than he’d been when Kevin was in high school. And he’d been pretty damn attractive & appealing then. Dammit. What was he going to do?!

Well, right now he was going to jerk off (NOT while thinking of Joaquin, thankyouverymuch) and go back to bed. He could deal with whatever was happening in his head/heart later.


	6. Time Travel Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wrapping up my happy alt universe. So hopefully Riverdale itself gets with the program!

Kevin’s new life in Riverdale went on. He loved his new job, and a few of his coworkers showed great promise as friends. He’d met up with Ethel and found her just as sweet as ever—as was her husband and their four children. He spent more time with his father than he had in years and found they made excellent housemates, with little to no conflict. He’d even connected with Cheryl and found the woman much changed, entirely for the better. He attributed quite a lot of that to her partner, Margo, who seemed to have a calming influence on the fiery woman.

Yet even though his social life was diversifying, Kevin still spent a whole lot of time with Joaquin and his family. He no longer had an excuse for doing so; he simply enjoyed spending time with him. Fortunately, Joaquin never called him out on it.

The same could not be said for Sheriff Keller. When told that they’d (again) been invited to dinner with the DeSantos family, Kevin’s father gave a knowing smirk. “You’re spending a lot of time with Joaquin these days, hmm?”

Kevin flushed. “So what? We’re friends! And its good for you to go out, Dad. You know you like Mama D and Bella and the kids.” This was 100% true. And Josa and Beto adored _Jefe._ Especially since he let them wear his hat.

“Sure I do! But you spend time with him without me, too. So it’s not _just_ in my best interest, I’m thinking?” Sheriff Keller held up his hands to cut Kevin off. “No need to get defensive. I don’t mean it’s a bad thing.”

“I’m not defensive! Why would I be defensive? I’ve got nothing to be defensive about! We’re friends! Just friends! And that’s fine!”

Now Kevin’s father gave him a thoughtful eyebrow tilt. “Is it though?” Once again he held up a hand. “Don’t answer me. I’m just pointing out that you’ve got no need to hide anything from me. I’m on your side. And you know I like Joaquin. He’s a good man.”

Mama D wasn’t much better. She certainly wasn’t any subtler. “Kevo! _Mijo_! You know, I worry our Chimo. He works so hard. So why don’t you two go see a movie this weekend? He still loves movies, but never goes anymore! Bella and I can handle _los nenes_ just fine.”

“ _Mama!_ ” hissed Joaquin, bright red. “ _¡Basta!”_ He turned to Kevin. “Unless you want to, Kev? Have you been to the new Bijou yet? Immersive divans are cheesy I know but they can be fun with the right movie…”

So yeah. It had been nearly three months since Kevin had moved back, and it felt like everyone and their brother were trying to push him and Joaquin back together. Especially Kevin’s own libido. Which probably wasn’t a good idea…especially since he wasn’t sure how Joaquin felt about it. And he wasn’t exactly going to bring that up as a topic of conversation, since if it backfired he’d lose what had quickly became his closest friendship and his ties to DeSantos family _._ Not worth the risk...right?

 

 

Kevin and Joaquin were once again hanging out on the DeSantos patio, which was surprisingly luxe due to a large payout on the life insurance policy Mama D had dutifully kept up on for her husband despite everyone telling her she was wasting her money (miraculously,  his death had been an accident not of his own doing and so the insurance had paid out double). They’d mostly used it for school funds, but their one splurge had been to give their home a kick-ass back porch that served as both a ‘man cave’ and family-friendly retreat. Joaquin could use his devi as a projector to stream videos, so Kevin would sometimes come over after the kids’ bedtime to keep Joaquin company. And they could talk and laugh to their hearts’ content without needing to worry about waking up _los nenes_ or Mama D _._

They’d just finished mocking the recent remake of To Kill a Mockingbird (seriously, Leonardo’s quest for an Oscar had gotten utterly _desperate_ ) and Kevin figured it was time for him to head out since he couldn’t think of a plausible reason to stay. He’d had the best of intentions, truly. Yet somehow, his goodbye hug had lingered. His embrace had tightened. Aaaand now he had Joaquin pressed against the side of the house, in a nice reversal of their first meeting.  Fortunately, judging by Joaquin’s eyes, he had no objections to being in that position. And as Kevin bent to capture the other man’s lips, he seized Kevin’s hips and pulled him even closer.

Good god. Holy shit. Kissing Joaquin wasn’t as good as Kevin remembered…it was better. How was that even possible?! He yanked the elastic out of Joaquin’s ponytail so he could run his fingers through his hair and oh god, this was amazing. So were the other man’s groans. Kevin took a step even closer, their bodies already incredibly tight.

When Joaquin bit his lower lip, he gasped. And that gave him enough self-awareness to panic.

“What…what are we doing?” he panted.

“Really?!” Joaquin said with a laugh, one hand creeping into Kevin’s back pocket.

_Shit_ that was distracting. “I mean…” He shuddered, then ducked his head to rest against the house instead of burying his nose in the curve of Joaquin’s neck like he wanted to. “I mean, should we be doing this?!”

Another startled laugh. “I don’t fucking know, Kev! I can’t exactly think clearly right now,” Joaquin groaned and rubbed against him, his arousal obvious. “I’ve been thinking about this since you got back and now that we’ve started I can’t stop.” His other hand was moving from Kevin’s hip up his back to his neck, to pull his face back towards Joaquin’s mouth. He kissed him deeply, passionately. But he pulled away to pant “Unless you…you want to stop?” The other man’s eyes looked as desperate as Kevin felt, and that made up his mind for him.

“Oh, hell no!” Kevin growled. His tongue snaked its way into Joaquin’s mouth and his hand pulled lightly at the other man’s hair. He too had been thinking about this for ages, and it felt too good to try to deny himself.  They could always talk about things later. They probably _needed_ to do this once, otherwise they would explode from the sexual tension. It didn’t have to fuck up their friendship, right?

Kevin pressed his thigh between Joaquin’s legs, who moaned and snaked one leg around Kevin’s, enabling him to grind against the taller man more effectively. While incredible, it also made it more likely that Kevin’s knees would collapse from underneath him. So Kevin grabbed the other leg, essentially lifting Joaquin, and pivoted them towards the nearby daybed before letting his legs give out. As soon as his back hit the cushion, Joaquin rolled them so he was straddling Kevin and practically ripped both their shirts off.

“God _damn,_ ” Kevin said, reaching up to stroke Joaquin’s chest and stomach. He _had_ added muscle. And several tattoos. “You’re still so fucking hot!”

Once more, Joaquin gave a surprised laugh as he leaned down to attack Kevin’s neck with his mouth. “Me? How about _you_? Shit, Kev! Look at you! _Guapo. Muy, muy guapo. Mi lindo._ ” Once he started with the Spanish, Kevin was lost. He arched his back with a moan and couldn’t string another coherent sentence together if his life depended on it. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like Joaquin expected that of him since he kept his mouth busy.

Their kisses felt desperate, as if trying to make up for the past 11 years in one fell swoop. Their hands groped and grabbed and caressed, documenting what was different and what wasn’t. They remembered each other’s old hot spots and were quick in recognizing the new ones. They barely spoke—back in the day there’d been plenty of dirty talk and praise and commands and swearing. Yet this was practically silent, as if speaking might break the spell they were both under. Just hushed & reverential moans and sighs. It was all achingly familiar, and yet entirely new.

Kevin felt completely out of control, letting himself be swept away by the pent-up passion he’d been repressing for months. Joaquin seemed to be in a similar state, his eyes and actions wild. In their frenzy they’d both kicked off their shoes and pants and were writhing on top of each other in their boxers and briefs. In time these too were shed with haste. Too far gone to manage anything more complicated, Joaquin ended up wrapping his hand around both of their cocks and roughly & rapidly jerked them off. It would have been embarrassing how fast Kevin came, except Joaquin finished even faster.

They stared stupidly at each other as their various bodily fluids cooled. Things had escalated (and finished) so rapidly that both men were frankly stunned. Neither had expected this and neither seemed to know what to say. The awkwardness in the air was practically palpable.

Joaquin seemed to finally realize where they were and groaned. “Shit! I read to the munchkins here! This is our Cuddle Zone! How the fuck am I supposed to read Dr. Seuss here now!?!” He frantically pulled on his underwear and jeans and indicated for Kevin to do the same, then used his t-shirt to wipe off their stomachs.

That broke the tension, and Kevin started laughing. Joaquin joined him, and they embraced one another.

“That was incredible,” Kevin sighed.

“Yeah,” Joaquin agreed, nuzzling the younger man. “Probably a bad idea though, right?”

“Yeah,” Kevin agreed. “But our terrible ideas actually worked out pretty well in the past.”

“Good point. So…we doing this?”

“God, I _want_ to.”

“Same, man!”

“But… We have a past, and that might affect how we perceive things now. This,” Kevin waved his hand back and forth between them “could be just a lingering effect from when we were kids, nostalgia or something. Like, we’re just caught up in the moment right now and it’s not real.”

“Yeah. Or we still have chemistry—obviously—but it’s just sex.”

They gazed into each other’s eyes, pensive.

“I don’t think it’s just sex,” Kevin said firmly. “It was never just sex with us, even when it probably should have been. But we might not be compatible anymore, y’know? Maybe we’ve changed too much—it’s been a long time, we’re different people now.”

“I dunno, man. I don’t think I’ve changed _that_ much. I mean, obviously, my situation has changed but that doesn’t seem to be a deal-breaker for you anyway.” Kevin shook his head, smiling, and Joaquin continued. “I might be more responsible and boring now, but the important shit is still the same, like my values and personality. At least I think so. How about you?”

Kevin thought for a long minute. “I don’t know. It’s hard to say.” The relationships he’d had—both short and long—since Joaquin had to have affected him. It would be naïve to think otherwise. He just didn’t know how, exactly.

“You don’t _seem_ that different, but that means fuck-all since I can’t see inside your head,” Joaquin said thoughtfully. “But isn’t that why people date? To get to know each other? In our case, it’d be getting to know each other again, but the basic principle applies.”

“But what if it doesn’t work out?” Kevin whispered. “I don’t want to lose you a second time.”

Joaquin smiled and leaned forward to rest his forehead against Kevin’s, just like he used to. “Well, we’ll just have to make sure it works out then.” He gave the younger man a gentle kiss. “I’d ask you to stay the night, but I think that would make mama too damn happy and confuse _los nenes._ But whaddaya say we use the Cuddle Zone for its intended purpose for a bit longer?”

That was too good an offer to turn down. They snuggled together, enjoying the sound of each other’s heartbeat and breathing. Kevin inhaled: Joaquin still smelled the same. But so much was different. He caressed one of the tattoos on Joaquin’s torso—a phoenix on his right pec. “This looks pretty new…did you get this after the divorce?”

Joaquin turned red. “No, I just had the colors redone then. I…I got it not too long after you left town, actually. I guess I needed a reminder that good things can come from change, y’know?” Joaquin’s blush deepened. “I needed to remember that I’d become a better person, someone worthy of good things. Later, with Amber…well, it made a new kind of sense then.”

Kevin internally winced as he thought about how it had to have been so much harder for Joaquin post break-up— _he_ didn’t have the distraction of college and a new city. And he’d taken the shit situation with his ex-wife and turned that into something positive, too. Once again, Kevin was struck by Joaquin’s grit. But sensing that the man was embarrassed, he changed the subject by asking about his other tattoos. And then let himself be teased over his own virgin skin.

“I just never thought of anything I cared about enough to permanently etch in my skin, that’s all!” Which was a lie and they both knew it.

“C’mon, preppy! Don’t be such a chicken. These days, it’s not like you’d be stuck with it if you hate it.” Joaquin’s hand snaked around and pinched Kevin’s ass. “I still think you should have gotten a real ‘Property of DeSantos’ right here after all.” For Joaquin’s 19h birthday, Kevin got a custom temporary tattoo that said just that, and Joaquin had liked it so much he’d teased Kevin about it for ages.

Kevin rolled his eyes. “Sure. And that wouldn’t have been awkward at _all_ later. It was bad enough that I had our prom picture in my dorm room…another man’s name on my ass would have put a real cramp in my love life!”

Joaquin rolled his eyes right back. “That’s the _point,_ Kev!” Then he gave the younger man a grin and a kiss to show he was kidding. “You had a picture of us in your dorm?”

“Sure—I had pictures of me and dad, me and Betty, me and the rest of the gang…it felt weird not to have one of us.” In fact, those pictures had been displayed in all of Kevin’s homes since then…he’d added more from the different periods of his life but never removed the oldest ones. “Plus, I looked _great_ that night! Me in a tux is not something to box away in the attic.”

“Amen to that. And you accessorized like a pro with yours truly.”

“Look at you, using ‘accessory’ as a verb! See, you _have_ changed!”

 

 

Kevin would have been surprised at the speed with which he fell back in love with Joaquin, had he not taken a few psychology classes as an undergrad. In a sense, he’d never fallen _out_ of love with him—he’d simply been away from Joaquin. Thus, once he was back in the other man’s company and they started acting as they used to, all the old feelings came rushing back. And were reinforced by everything that was great about their relationship now. So, so, _so_ many great things.

The heart-swelling & birds-singing love they once again had for each other was more than enough to make up for all the smug comments from family and friends. Mama D was particularly happy and had to be talked down from planning their wedding just a few weeks into their rekindled relationship.

Being with Joaquin was just so _comfortable._ But not in a lazy way. A friend had once described the course of relationships in terms of pants: If you’re lucky you start out as incredibly sexy (but uncomfortable) tight pants but inevitably end up as gross, unsexy sweats. Kevin had certainly had some relationships like that over the years, but with Joaquin it was like they were always perfectly broken-in jeans, or maybe yoga pants. Sexy as hell, but not constraining. Comfy, but not complacent. They always had something to talk about (11 years apart provided ample material) but could be content to be silent together. They bickered at times (in a cute way) but very rarely argued. They had a calming effect on each other—Kevin _swore_ his blood pressure dropped just by sitting next to Joaquin, very handy for those shitty days at work—but could also turn each other on with practically no effort.

The sex was better than ever, of course. Before, they’d been teenagers, still figuring things out. There’d been a natural spark between them, but also lots of ignorance and inexperience. These days, they both knew what they wanted and what they needed.  That first night together, Joaquin started teasing Kevin about telling him all the stuff he was into these days, promising that his ‘small-town self’ would be able to handle it. Kevin had flushed, but he wasn’t surprised that Joaquin had guessed he’d experimented with different kinks. That’s what college was for, right? And living two cities with vibrant gay communities…of course he’d taken advantage!  

He’d looked at the other man and coyly bit his lip. “Alright, I dabble! And unless you _are_ different it’s nothing you wouldn’t be into. You did usually enjoy being dominant, if I recall correctly…” And Joaquin had damn near lost his mind at that. He ended up cursing the slower refractory periods that came with age, but Kevin consoled him by pointing out that his gear was at the Keller residence anyway. That just made Joaquin curse even more.

They didn’t often get to go to Kevin’s place because of the kids, but when they did Joaquin took to play like a duck to water. With just a few intuitive questions, he’d worked out the buttons Kevin liked to have pushed (and the ones he _wasn’t_ into) and proceeded to blow Kevin’s mind. He wasn’t completely selfless—it turned out he just _loved_ tying Kevin up and torturing him with praise, growling filthy fantasies in Kevin’s ears. So yeah, they were way more compatible than they’d ever realized. And Kevin discovered the joy of trying to be as quiet as possible, lest you wake some curious kiddos who start banging on the bedroom door to see if Papa is ok. Everything was wonderful, just wonderful.

 

The ease with which they renewed their relationship didn’t mean they had no problems. Although they trusted each other implicitly, their most recent relationships left them a bit insecure—their partners had found them insufficient, after all. And they weren’t that great at talking about their emotions. They each profoundly needed reassurance from the other…but neither realized it or knew to ask for it.

Kevin, for the first time in his life, struggled with jealously. He knew he was being irrational—Joaquin rarely went out because of the kids and when he did, it was with Kevin—but still, he found himself wanting to check in with the man when they weren’t together. He imagined scenarios where sexy homeowners propositioned Joaquin to service more than their heating units and Joaquin, realizing that Kevin was such a basketcase, happily accepted. Fortunately, he was too ashamed to ever broach the topic with Joaquin but he worried it would poison their relationship nonetheless. Especially since he couldn’t stop his intrusive thoughts.

It was an offhand comment that brought things to a head for the two a few months into their reunion. Kevin had brought over pizza for dinner after hearing that Joaquin’s day had been _horrific_ and he wrangled the kids so that Joaquin got to enjoy the good part of the nighttime routine (stories  & cuddles) without any of the difficulties (brushing teeth, getting into jammies, etc.) Afterwards, Joaquin gave the younger man a long, appreciative hug.

“You’re the best, Kev. I’m sorry I was such a grump. It was just _such_ a shitty day. That asshole Roger… that stupid cooling unit… those fucking customers…ugh!” He took a step back and rubbed his hands over his face in exasperation. “Sorry, sorry! I’ll try to cope better next time, it’s not fair to ask you to do this for me and _los nenes._ I don’t want to scare you off.”

Kevin scoffed and pulled the man back in for another reassuring embrace. “Can it, DeSantos. Don’t apologize for having a bad day, and don’t worry! First of all, you didn’t ask me to do any of this. I _chose_ to because I love you, stupid.  And secondly, you can’t scare me away. You’re _never_ getting rid of me.”

Joaquin reacted to that statement as if he’d been smacked in the face. He stared at Kevin, utterly dumbfounded

“Seriously? You mean it?”

“Yeah! Wait, which bit? Never mind. It doesn’t matter. I meant all of it.” They’d resumed the ‘I love you’s’ not long after getting back together, so he wasn’t sure what had surprised Joaquin so much.

Joaquin squeezed him tighter and rested his head on Kevin’s shoulder. “I don’t know….it was just really good to hear all that.”

“Of course!?” Kevin was confused at Joaquin’s behavior for another couple of minutes before it hit him like a baseball bat to the head. Well, duh. “Ooooooh. I get it.” He pulled them over to the couch and sat, bringing the other man with him. He grabbed Joaquin’s face with both hands and stated, very seriously “Joaquin DeSantos, I love you and I’m not going to leave you. Especially not because of the munchkins, who I _also_ love. You’re all wonderful and I’m keeping you.”

Joaquin had been puzzled by Kevin’s behavior, but after hearing his little speech, he smiled so brightly that Kevin figured it would be visible from space. He exhaled slowly, as if letting go of something. “Well, shit! I…I guess I needed that?! Huh. Weird.”

Kevin released his face and leaned forward so their foreheads touched. “Not weird, sweetie. Totally understandable, given your ex…I’m just sorry I didn’t realize it sooner.”

With a chuckle, Joaquin gave him a quick kiss. “C’mon now, I didn’t realize it either and it’s my own damn head. But yeah, I guess I have been a nervous that we’re too much, that you’ll decide you’ve had enough and bail. Wow…that sounds stupid to say out loud. Man, I guess the divorce fucked me up more than I thought. Sorry, you shouldn’t have to put up with this shit, you deserve better…”

Annoyed, Kevin pulled Joaquin’s ponytail. “Stop it! I _just_ told you not to worry. You get to have baggage, you’re a human, for fuck’s sake!”

“Ouch! Damn, preppy! But it seems unfair…you having to handle my shit when you’ve got yours all figured out.”

Kevin blushed. “Um, no? Not even close! I uh, I…I’ve actually been really insecure and jealous the past few months. I keep thinking about you leaving me, you hooking up with someone better...”

“What!?! Never! Damn, Kevin! You know that.”

"I do know! That makes it worse, because I _know_ that no way in a million years would you ever cheat. But I just kept thinking about it. Fuck you, Soren!” He gave a bitter laugh.

Joaquin just shook his head. “Shit. Well, OK. We’re both idiots when it comes to our feelings. We should probably work on that. Because I don’t want our exes to ruin this for us.” After a minute, he grinned and took Kevin’s face in his hands, mirroring their position from before. “Kevin Keller, you are amazing. I would be a fucking idiot to cheat on you and I’m not an idiot. I have zero interest in anyone else because you are hot as hell, the sexiest man alive, and the owner of the finest ass on earth. I love you and I’m keeping _you._ ”

Amazingly, Kevin felt his eyes water up a bit at that absurd vow, but he felt _so_ much better. He knew it was going to take more than just tonight for them to get over their issues, but at least now they were being open and honest about them.

 

 

And so it went. Kevin’s life became more and more entwined with Joaquin’s, to each other’s delight. Perhaps things progressed too rapidly, but there was a solid foundation beneath them and they were confident and secure that they’d work out. And their expectations seemed to become reality, which only increased their confidence.

The next big step occurred about 7 months into their relationship. It was a Sunday, which meant everyone gathered at the DeSantos house for family dinner. Jefe was reading “Make Way for Ducklings” for the 10th time that evening to Josa and Beto (or as he called them, Josy-Posy and Bobby Boy). Kevin was helping Mama D with the food while Joaquin did what he did best in the kitchen—the dishes.

Suddenly, Bella stormed in. The young woman was _livid_ : you could practically see the smoke coming out of her ears.

“Those _cabr _ó_ ns! _I swear to God I’m going to kick their asses so hard they’ll be shitting out of their mouths!”

“ _Bella!_ ” Mama D gasped. “Language!”

But Bella just shrugged. “Sorry, mama. But it’s Rory’s parents.”

Mama D immediately understood. Bella had been dating Rory—an EMT—for over a year and everyone agreed they were a keeper. Although they’d been out for ages to everyone else, they only recently came out as nonbinary to their parents. Who did not take it well. Although LGBTQA folks were generally accepted these days, there were still exceptions. Rory had the misfortune to be part of one of these throwback families—utterly disgusted by anything other than ‘traditional’ sexuality and gender identity.

“What happened?” Joaquin asked, concern evident in his voice.

“Their parents kicked them out! Those jerks gave them an ultimatum—act ‘normal’ or they’d be disowned. I don’t know what they’re going to do…they’ll never get an apartment with such little notice.” Riverdale had precious few rental units these days, something Kevin was hoping to rectify.

“ _Pechoco_!” Mama D sighed sympathetically. “They can stay here until they find a place to stay.” Obviously, Rory wouldn’t be able to move in—the house was crowded enough already. That’s why Kevin hadn’t officially moved in—he still went back to the Keller house to sleep 3 or 4 nights a week. It sucked, but 4 adults and 2 toddlers in a 4-bedroom house was tight. Especially since there was only 1 shower.

“Hmm,” Kevin said thoughtfully. “I’ll ask around; maybe some of my coworkers know someone who’s looking for a roommate?”

No one had noticed that the Sheriff had joined them in the kitchen. “Why doesn’t Rory move in with me?” he suggested. Kevin whirled around to give his father a puzzled look. “What? It would solve everyone’s problem. And if Rory and Bella take over the upstairs, Kevin can move here without feeling guilty about leaving me ‘unattended.’” He gave a mock-glare to his son; he knew he needed help with certain things around the house these days.

“That’s…actually a really good idea,” Kevin admitted. Given that he’d come back to Riverdale to assist his father he’d felt horrible guilt at the idea of moving out and leaving him alone again. But he also knew that moving the kids in with _them_ wouldn’t work either. “I mean, if you and Rory are ready for that,” he added to Bella.

Bella looked nervously at her mother. “We’ve talked about it, we just didn’t know how Mama would handle us ‘living in sin.’”

Mama D just sighed. “ _Niña_ , I’m not a dinosaur. I don’t _like_ it, the way people act these days, but I accept it. And you two have been together for a while. Would I like it if you got married? _¡_ _Si, por supuesto!_ But I’m not going to keep you from doing what makes you happy.” Another sigh, followed by a sly grin. “Besides, Jefe’s plan has Chimo  & Kevo living together too. And I’m pretty sure _they_ won’t be opposed to marriage. You know how much Kevo likes parties and dressing up.”

“ _Mama_!” Joaquin hissed. “ _¡Para el carro!_ We’ve talked about this!” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Amber and I got married in a hurry and look how that worked out.”

“Bah!” scoffed Mama D. “That’s because you two weren’t meant to be. You were _meant_ to be with Kevo. You just needed Amber for _los nenes._ ”

Joaquin was as red as a tomato now—but from embarrassment, not anger. “ _¡_ _Calma, por favor!_ ” His voice was pleading, but Mama D just went on about the information she’d received from various saints and angels, assuring her of Joaquin and Kevin’s destiny.

Kevin had just sat there grinning throughout the entire exchange. He and Joaquin had discussed marriage and agreed it was way too soon. They knew they’d get there eventually but felt no need to hurry. As much as he enjoyed seeing Joaquin squirm in discomfort, he eventually took pity on his beloved.

“Mama D,” Kevin said in a calm, reassuring voice. “I promise you that we _will_ get married.” Her face lit up. “But you need to be patient. Neither of us are ready for that yet. Blame it on our exes, I guess. We’d rather take things slowly on that front.” He turned to Joaquin. “But I _would_ love to move in, if that’s something that’s legitimately on the table.”

Joaquin’s smile was a sufficient answer. He called to the munchkins, who had been playing Godzilla—building towers with blocks and then stomping through them. “ _Chulos!_ Come here for a minute.” Josa and Beto came running, and Joaquin pulled them up so he had one on each knee. “I have a question for you. Would you like it if Kevo lived here with us? If he was here all the time, not just sometimes?”

Josa shouted “YES!” and Beto nodded enthusiastically.

“Great!” Joaquin said with an even bigger smile and a wink to Kevin, who was tearing up a bit. “Now, it would mean that Tia Bella won’t live here anymore, though we’ll still see her a lot. She and Rory will live with Jefe and help him out and keep him from being lonely without Kevo.”

Beto wrinkled his nose and Josa looked thoughtful. She turned to her aunt. “You’ll still come and play?”

“All the time,” Bella promised.

“OK,” Josa said simply. She reached to poke her brother. “Tell Papa OK.”

“OK,” Beto grumbled. “But why can’t Kevo and Tia Bella and Rory and Jefe all live _here_ with us?”

Sheriff Keller ruffled the boy’s hair. “Bobby Boy, it’d be too crowded! We’d be all squeezed in like your dinosaurs.” Beto’s box of dinos was stuffed to the point of overflowing, and he kept adding more. “Besides, you wouldn’t see us when we’re working anyway, and me and Rory and Tia Bella all work late sometimes. We’ll still come over whenever we can, you’ll probably see them as often as you see me!” Given that Jefe came over for dinner at least twice a week, this was no small promise.

Biting his lip, Beto turned to Kevo. “And you’ll be here always?”

Kevo nodded. “Except for when I’m at work, but that’s when you’re at preschool or with _abuelita_. You’d see me as much as you see Papa.”

Beto nodded again, slower this time. “OK. That’s good. Can we go play now?” And they scampered off to destroy more towers.

 

There was an adjustment period, of course. Moving into a house with small children was a big change, even if he’d been a frequent visitor. He was exhausted those first weeks, which Joaquin thought was adorable.

“They start out real small and real needy,” Joaquin had explained. “That helps you prepare for when they’re less small and less needy. You just skipped the training phase, preppy.”

“This is _less_ needy?” Kevin had shot back as he wrestled a fidgeting Beto into his jacket and tried to console a wailing Josa.

It was further complicated by the language issue. Kevin’s Spanish had been coming back, but he was by no means fluent and that meant there were conversations that he couldn’t follow. He was _mortified_ the toddlers’ language skills were better than his own, though he knew their little brains sucked up languages like a sponge. They soon worked out a system where Kevin spoke English to _los nenes_ while Joaquin and _abuelita_ spoke Spanish to them, unless they had non-Spanish speaking guests. And as the toddlers’ vocabulary improved, so did Kevin’s. Eventually he got to a point where they couldn’t talk about him while he was in the room—his ultimate goal.

Kevin was also nervous that Mama D would feel slighted if he took over some of what she usually did—cooking, helping with bedtime—but she assured him with a laugh that she didn’t mind.

“I’m almost 60, Kevo! _Niños_ are much easier when you’re young, let me tell you. And I get them during the day when you’re at work! So don’t worry, you go on helping my Chimo. And _los nenes_ love you.”

All in all, Kevin was more tired than he’d ever been in his life—even more so than when working on his master’s thesis—but he was also the happiest he’d ever been. Joaquin was completely over the moon, too.

 

 

It was another Sunday dinner a few months later. The inhabitants of the Keller house made it a point to be there whenever possible, which kept the little ones _and_ Mama D happy.

“Beto is my brother,” Josa stated out of nowhere. The twins had been very interested in families recently—it had come up on their favorite TV show and they’d been asking questions about it non-stop.

“Yes he is! Very good!” Kevin exclaimed.

“Josa is _my_ brother,” Beto added.

“Sister, _cariño,_ ” Joaquin corrected. “Remember we talked about how Josa feels like a girl? Girl siblings are sisters, boy siblings are brothers.” He gave an apologetic shrug to Rory, who just waved the issue away.

“Tia Bella is Papa’s sister. Just like Tia Saba,” Josa explained to her brother before turning back to the adults. “Kevo, what’s your sister’s name?”

“I don’t have one, sweetie.”

Both Josa and Beto looked shocked by this. “So who’s your brother?” Beto asked.

“I don’t have one of those either.”

The two turned in confusion to Sheriff Keller. “Jefe _,_ why doesn’t Kevo have any brothers or sisters!?!”

“It just worked out that way, kiddos,” Kevin’s dad said with a shrug. “It wasn’t anything that I planned.”

“Because you’re Kevo’s father,” Beto said, happy to show that he too understood these things. “And Kevo’s mother is in Florida.”

“That’s where our mother is!” Josa exclaimed. “But she’s not our mama. She grew us but that doesn’t make her mama. We have _abuelita_ and Kevo instead of a mama.”

Kevin was shocked. He hadn’t realized they thought of him that way, but he was honored.

Beto squinted at him in confusion. “Does that make you Papa, Kevo, if we have you instead of a mama? People can have two papas or two mamas. Or three papas. Or four papas!” Elmo had gotten quite progressive these days.

“He can’t be Papa,” Josa said seriously before Kevin had a chance to respond. “We have a papa. He has to be something else. What else do people call boy parents?” she asked Mama D.

Mama D was smiling like she’d just won the lottery. “Lots of things, _chiquitos_! But ‘Daddy’ or ‘Dad’ are good ones.”

Beto and Josa whispered to each other. “We like Daddy,” Beto announced.

It had happened so quickly and so neatly that Kevin suggested the kids had been coached—but they were terrible liars and incapable of subtlety. He’d hoped for this—there was no denying it—but he didn’t think it would happen so quickly. He and Joaquin had been back together for just under a year, but they were more than a couple. They were a family. He felt himself choke up a little, and then felt Joaquin gently squeeze his knee.

He managed to pull himself together enough to beam at the munchkins. “I like Daddy, too.”

 

 

“You waiting for a written invitation, Jay sweetie?” Kevin called to Joaquin from his spot by the door. He’d been ready to go for ages, and Joaquin was still puttering around doing god knows what. They were going to be late.

“ _Chill_ , Kev! I’m just getting my boots on! And I couldn’t find my devi because _someone_ thought it would be funny to hide it in the big bucket of Legos.” Joaquin called back. He finally emerged and headed towards Kevin with a smile. He looked fantastic—he wasn’t super dressed up, but he was wearing Kevin’s favorite jeans and a shirt with an actual collar. The plan was that they were going to party for one of Kevin coworker’s, just dinner and drinks downtown.

Well, that was the plan Kevin had told Joaquin. The older man realized fairly quickly that there must be a change in the agenda as they drove out of town and into the woods by the river.

“Um, Kev? Did Maria want to go skinny-dipping in Sweetwater River for her birthday? Because I’m gonna have to take a hard pass on seeing the mayor and all your coworkers naked.”

But Kevin just laughed, and the car drove itself to a familiar area—their old spot, from back in the day. And now Joaquin was really confused, because there was _another_ car there already. Or rather, a truck. And there was a sheet hanging between two trees.

Kevin parked, got out, and called “Sorry we’re late!”

“No big deal,” came a deep voice from the truck. “I just finished anyway. The projector was giving me some grief.” Kevin’s coworker Jerome headed towards them, and Kevin fist-bumped him with a smile.

“Thanks _so_ much for this, I really owe you one!” Kevin gushed as he swapped key fobs with his friend.

“ _Yeah_ you do,” Jerome joked. “Keep that in mind later and be mindful of the upholstery.” He winked, clapped a confused Joaquin on the back, and climbed into the car.

“What the fuck, preppy?!” Joaquin asked. “What are we doing out there? And why is he taking your car?”

“ _Chill_ , Jay!” Kevin chimed with a smirk. “All will be revealed.” He tugged the other man towards the bed of the pickup truck and revealed a mattress, plenty of pillows and blankets, and a picnic basket. He climbed into the back and gave Joaquin a hand to help him up.

Once they were both settled and nestled, Kevin picked up a remote that was on top of the basket and pointed it towards the roof of the cab. And suddenly “Rebel Without a Cause” was projected onto that mysterious sheet. The sound was coming from behind them, which was a little odd, but it’s not like they were really going to watch the movie that closely anyway.

“Shit, Kevin,” Joaquin said with a big smile. “Did you have Jerome set up a DIY drive-in?”

“You bet your fine ass I did! And that’s not all,” Kevin said with manic grin. He opened the picnic basket with a flourish and unpacked the contents. “Voila! Thai food! And milkshakes!”

Joaquin was laughing now. “What is all this, babe? You’re recreating our teenage years? Is this some role-playing shit?”

Kevin rolled his eyes. “Always your mind goes straight to sex. Although yes, we should _totally_ do that later. No, this is just a special date night.” That earned him a long, sweet kiss.

“But why? Did I miss an anniversary or something?”

“Does there need to be a reason why, other than I love you?” Kevin said with a shrug. “Because if there _does_ , I can give you a reason.” He gripped the other man’s hands tightly and stared into his eyes. “Joaquin, sweetie: Tonight is meant to remind us of how great it was to come of-age together. And there are no words for how much I’ve enjoyed being an adult with you these past 2 years. So I simply _have_ to ask if you’ll grow old with me, too.” He knelt and pulled a ring from his back pocket.  “Marry me?”

Joaquin’s answer was to seize Kevin by the shirt and kiss him passionately. “Of course _,_ preppy! Kevin Keller, you are the fucking love of my life. _Of course_ I’ll marry you.” Another kiss, followed by a playful punch to the shoulder. “And _dammit!_ I was going to ask you on your birthday next month!”

Kevin just stuck his tongue out at him. “I win!” he cried in a sing-song voice. He slid the ring onto Joaquin’s finger—just a simple silver one with a small onyx, he’d get him some fancier as a wedding band. But Joaquin beamed at the sight of it, and Kevin received another mind-blowing kiss.

They cuddled and ate and half-watched the movie, though they mostly were giddy with excitement and couldn’t stop cooing like lovebirds. At one point Joaquin shook his head in wonder.

“You know, Kev, I’ve thought about you a _lot_ over the years. What would have happened if we’d stayed together and tried long distance after all? What would have happened if I’d gone after you? And, uh, just sorta replaying our sex life. Not gonna lie, I thought about that a _lot._ ”

Kevin chuckled. “I can relate. I’ve had my share of ‘Joaquin’ thoughts over the years, too… But wait, you thought about coming after me?”

“Oh, sure. Whenever I’d get frustrated at work or with this fucking town, I had this daydream of moving to Chicago and finding you. After a while, it probably wasn’t really you anymore, more like the idea of you. That I could have had this whole other life had I left with you—I’d be Mr. Cool, living it up in the big city. But by the time you graduated college…I didn’t need that daydream anymore. My life here was good. Maybe not that exciting, but I was content before _los nenes_ and once I had them…” He shrugged. “I didn’t want to picture a world where they weren’t in my life.”

Kevin’s heart fluttered. Affectionate Papa Joaquin was particularly dreamy, in his humble opinion.

Said dreamboat shook his head again with a little laugh. “You know, in all my ‘what if’s’ regarding you over the years, one scenario I never considered was ‘What if Kevin moved back to Riverdale and was conveniently single?’ That would have been a pretty damn good daydream, so it’s funny I never thought of it!”

Kevin kissed his fiancé. “Well, this isn’t anything I ever imagined either, sweetie. Which just goes to show the limitations of our dreams, I guess?”

Joaquin smirked, and Kevin’s pulse raced. He’d learned what that face meant. “I dunno, preppy. I’ve got some dreams that are pretty fucking wild…whaddaya say we re-enact our glory days and I’ll tell you all about them?”

Riverdale had changed, _they_ had changed, but apparently some things never changed: Sweetwater River was for lovers.

 

 

And before they knew it, there was a wedding. Apparently, Mama D had been plotting with Veronica for literally years so that once they were finally engaged, they just had to pick a date and everything else was basically planned. In addition to helping her old friend, Vee longed for an excuse to throw a big old-school bash and per usual, it was way over-the-top. But friends had come back from far and wide and everyone seemed to be having a great time, so Kevin had no complaints. How could he complain? He was marrying _Joaquin._

Joaquin had surprised Kevin when he told him of his plan to add ‘Keller’ as a last name for himself and _los nenes_. “’DeSantos’ was my father’s name. Fuck that guy. So let’s be the Keller family. I’m used to DeSantos and I’ll probably think of myself that way sometimes, but Josa and Beto deserve better. Plus, their names seemed too short with just the one last name.”

 

The new Mr. Keller grinned and winked at Kevin from across the room, where he was talking to some relatives. Kevin was seriously concerned that his heart might give out from too much joy. On top of everything else, Amber had given them the best wedding present possible: she was going to donate some eggs to the couple so Joaquin could have a baby with his preppy’s smile. Artificial wombs hadn’t really caught on because they still seemed a bit too sci-fi and frankly, creepy (plus insurance would only fund them when they were absolutely necessary) but Kevin and Joaquin didn’t mind. It would be easier than finding a surrogate, it was completely safe, and they’d be able to stop by the clinic to ‘visit’ daily if they wanted. Once they got back from their honeymoon, they’d get that ball rolling.

Meanwhile, Beto and Josa were dancing with the other children. Well, they were all spinning in circles and giggling. Josa liked the way her skirt twirled, and Beto always enjoyed making himself dizzy. Kevin felt his heart clench and then a wave of elation. They were his now. His and Joaquin’s. They were officially a family.

Joaquin ambled over to join Kevin, who was with the old Riverdale High gang. Vee and her ‘trophy husband’ Gavin (her joke, given that he was a _gorgeous_ Olympic medalist) chatted with Ethel and her husband and talked about the joys of parenthood. Reggie and Moose were bragging and trying to one-up one another with some other old teammates. Betty, Archie, and Jughead were laughing and excitedly talking: The childhood friends stayed in touch but hadn’t actually _seen_ each other in years. Kevin suspected that was what drew Archie to the wedding…he’d never been that close to the couple, but the promise of a reunion with his all-time BFFs was a powerful incentive. And Kevin didn’t mind, he was simply happy to see them all happy. Not that they could _possibly_ be as happy as he was what right now, but still.

He looked at his husband and smiled. “Who would have thought we’d end up here?”

Kevin hadn’t meant it to be a public statement, but it seemed like everyone nearby heard it anyway. Veronica just arched an eyebrow and everyone else chuckled.

“Seriously!?” Archie asked. “You two were practically married when we were in high school!” Everyone nodded in agreement.

“We actually thought you two would get engaged right after high school,” Betty added. “When you two broke up, you shocked the _entire_ graduating class.”

“We were crushed. True love like yours was supposed to endure,” Jughead said in his deadpan voice. “Although I guess it did, really.”

Kevin rolled his eyes while Joaquin chuckled. They’d talked about it and agreed that if they _had_ stayed together post high-school, they almost certainly would have broken up. They wouldn’t have grown in important ways. And most importantly, there’d be no Beto and Josa. Spending that time apart was critical for their current happiness, and they refused to regret those years. Maybe it meant their story was less romantic, that they’d loved other people, but it made their lives better.

“We had no idea so many people were invested in our relationship,” Kevin quipped. “But we’re pleased to give you all a happy ending after all.” He gave his new husband a long, long kiss.

Most people smiled and a few lifted their glasses as a toast, but Veronica frowned and waggled her finger.

“Ending? Not hardly! Kev-Kev, you and I have simply _got_ to talk about your future plans. Have you considered politics? Because this,” she waved her hands towards the newlyweds “is _golden._ You hit _all_ the demographic boxes, plus you actually have relevant experience. Seriously Kevin, I could make you _President.”_ Kevin blanched at that, but she pressed on. “Governor, then? How about Senator?”

“Um, Ronnie?” Joaquin chimed in with a smile. “Remember how I used to be a drug-dealing gang member? Pretty sure that would hurt Kevin when it came out.” Everyone chuckled.

But Veronica just waved that away. “Are you kidding? That’s an asset! You overcame your troubled past to become a reliable blue-collar worker who’s a proud union member. You supported your family when your deadbeat father wouldn’t with the only way you could in a bad economy but realized the errors of your ways and repented. Pulled yourself up by your bootstraps with the help of your faith, became a doting father, married your high school sweetheart? I could get _you_ elected, Quin. Not President, but at least a state rep.” Joaquin’s eyes were the size of dinner plates now.

“Jesus you’re scary,” he muttered to Veronica.

“I’m good at what I do,” she corrected. “But yes, it’s often the same thing.” She turned back to Kevin. “So how about it, Keller?”

Kevin exchanged glances with his new husband—they had an entire conversation with an arch of a brow and a wrinkle of a nose. “Check back in with us when the kids are older, Vee. I’m not doing anything that would take me away from home regularly anytime soon. I never thought I’d say this, but I have _no_ interest in leaving Riverdale.” At that, he took Joaquin’s hand and led him onto the dancefloor.

“Happy, preppy?” Joaquin said with a sweet smile as they slowly danced next to their spinning children.

“As if you have to ask!” Kevin said with a contented smile. “Happier than I ever thought was possible.”

A _massive_ understatement. When young Kevin would picture his future, he’d been optimistic but never imagined he’d have this sort of love, the type that people wrote stories about. And he’d certainly never pictured he’d end up such a cliché. Yet here he was, a family man living in the small-ish town he’d grown up in married to his first love, the bad boy with a heart of gold turned good due to the power of love. Ridiculous, really. He shook his head slightly, grinning. Cliché or not, his life was amazing. He touched foreheads with his new husband and stared deeply into those amazing eyes.

“Here’s to our happily ever after, sweetheart.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end, for real this time! Thanks for reading!


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